


Picking Up Strays

by NarcissisticNarwhal



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: 3racha being thirsty for danceracha, Angst, Chan wields potted plants, Changbin has a signature bat, Flirting, Hwang Hyunjin-centric, Hyunjin is a ho, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Jisung has a sword, M/M, Misleading first chapter, POV Alternating, Sexual Tension, Slut Shaming, Some gross depictions, Violence typical of a zombie apocalypse, Written by a hard Hyunjin stan, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies, badass hyunjin, felix is a sad boi, other idols make appearances
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:41:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 28,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24779326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NarcissisticNarwhal/pseuds/NarcissisticNarwhal
Summary: 3racha has been together since before the apocalypse. After everything went to shit, it was just them against the world. Unfortunately, the world had other plans.3racha gets kicked out of their home by the undead, so they start their journey to a new place and manage to pick up a few strays along the way.
Relationships: Bang Chan & Han Jisung | Han & Seo Changbin, Bang Chan/Lee Felix, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin & Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Seo Changbin, Kim Seungmin & Yang Jeongin | I.N
Comments: 118
Kudos: 293





	1. Chapter 1

“Watch where you’re swinging that thing!” Jisung yelled, barely ducking out of the way as a studded baseball bat flew toward his head.

Changbin rolled his eyes as the bat connected with a thick skull - luckily not Jisung’s. The nails tore through flesh and blood splattered on the wall when he arched it back. He hefted the blood and paint splattered bat over his shoulder with a satisfied sigh.

“Oh, relax. I wasn’t gonna hit you,” he scoffed

As soon as he’d finished speaking, Jisung’s sword sailed through the air over Changbin’s head with a high-pitched whistle. Changbin couldn’t resist flinching slightly as his hair fluttered to the side. His eyes were wide. He knew the other would never hurt him, but it wasn’t like the apocalypse changed his reaction to sharp objects flying toward his head.

“Oh,  _ relax _ . I wasn’t gonna hit you,” Jisung jeered in a high-pitched, mocking voice.

“Yah!”

“Will you two cut it out!” Chan snapped, charging into the room. “We have to get out of here before more show up thanks to your yelling. Grab what you need and come on.” With that, he walked back out followed by the sounds of more violence.

“Guess we should help Channie-hyung,” Jisung sighed while cleaning his sword off on the couch by his side. “This sucks. This was such a great hideout.”

Changbin agreed. They had gotten pretty lucky with that place. It was difficult to find somewhere in the city that wasn’t crawling with zombies, let alone a place with sufficient supplies for a long-term stay. This little apartment complex had been a life saver for the past few months.

“Oh, well. I’m sure we’ll find a new place soon. The smell here was getting overpowering anyway,” Changbin said, tapping the walls with his bat. Three young men in the apocalypse did not a nice smell make.

They hurriedly shoved a few things in their bags and stepped over the bodies to head into the hallway. When they arrived, Chan was busy hitting a zombie over the head with what looked like a large ceramic dog. He checked to make sure the creature was down before he took a few deep breaths and pushed his bangs back.

“Took you guys long enough,” he sniped and dropped the ceramic dog on the ground with a thud. There were several bodies around him, but they all looked pretty decayed.

“If you can't handle a few creepers on your own then I’m not sure how you’ve made it this far,” Jisung teased. He tapped the dog on the floor with the tip of his sword. “You’re not leaving Fido behind, are you?”

“As much as I love swinging around a thirty pound bulldog, I think I’ll take something more convenient - like the dining room table.”

“You can at least take its legs,” Changbin pointed out.

“What about 203’s golf club set?” Jisung asked, gesturing to the door across the hall.

“That’ll do!” Chan said and gave the dog a playful pat. Chan preferred to use weapons of opportunity - unlike Changbin‘s artistically abstract bat, Big Bertha, and Jisung’s ceremonial sword. This got him into trouble on occasion, but it was something about the “spontaneity”.

“I’m gonna go grab those,” Chan said while moving toward the apartment, “You two snag whatever food you can fit in your bags and make sure we’ve got a clear path to the van.”

Changbin and Jisung saluted their de facto leader, then turned and headed down the stairs where they parted ways at the foot as Jisung went to retrieve food and Changbin headed outside. There were only a few zombies left hovering around the parking lot. They all looked pretty old; creepers - slow and heavily decayed. Among the small horde that had fallen upon them, there had only been a few that were fresh. Those had likely been survivors that stirred the others up and ultimately led them to the apartments.

Truthfully, they could easily make it to the cargo van by the front without disturbing them, but Changbin viewed it as mercy as his bat bashed through a rotted skull.

* * *

“So where’s The Bee headed to this time?” Jisung asked, whacking the side of the van. They had hijacked it from a florist’s where they had encountered the nicest smelling zombies thus far. The side of the van proudly proclaimed it as ‘The Flower Bee’, complete with a painted garden and cartoon bee. It was honestly more space than they needed, but it did an excellent job of plowing through zombies.

“Well, for now I guess we should stop for supplies. Who knows how long we’ll have to travel before finding a good hideout,” Chris called from the driver’s seat.

“There’s a convenience store up ahead we can raid. This is a quieter part of town, too. Hopefully it stayed that way,” Changbin mused while watching the buildings go by. This area had been by his parents’ house - the house he grew up in.

At the start of the apocalypse they had tried to reach their families, as many people did. The results had not been good. Phone reception had been shot virtually since the start of the pandemic, so Chan’s family in Australia was out of reach. Jisung had found his parents but it was too late. Changbin had delivered the final blows when the younger froze. Changbin’s own family was still in the wind. The trio had stayed in the area, though, as it had seemed quiet. Given that he hadn’t seen them yet, he held hope that they had successfully evacuated and survived - as unlikely as that was. Two years was a long time to hope.

“Oh, there!” Changbin called and pointed to a small building with advertisements filling the windows.

Chan pulled into the parking lot and stopped right by the door. All three got out, weapons in hand. Chan braced the golf club against his shoulder and locked the van, even though most people would be able to find a way to steal it if they wanted.

“Hey, toss me the keys!” Changbin called, holding his hand up. Chan threw them over the hood. “I’m driving when we get back.” He caught the keys and rubbed the small rabbit’s foot keychain before pocketing them.

“And poor Jisung is stuck in the back again,” the blond huffed. “What’s the point of seniority in an apocalypse? Zombies don’t care.”

Chan merely ruffled his hair as the younger grumbled.

“Okay,” he said and turned to his friends. “Jisung, you’re in charge of food. Limit the junk food.” He gave the blond a meaningful look to which Jisung merely shrugged. “Mostly stuff that will last. Changbin, you head to the hardware and grab anything useful. Weapons, flashlights, whatever. I’ll grab medical supplies. Meet back in fifteen minutes. All clear?”

Jisung and Changbin both gave him mock salutes and they entered the store. Jisung grabbed a cart and rolled off to peruse the food aisles while Chan headed toward the pharmacy section. Changbin veered straight to the back where he remembered there being camping supplies as they weren’t that far from a small campground.

The store was a bit ransacked, but at least a fourth of its original stock was still around. It had been one of the first areas that had gotten word to evacuate. Luckily for them, that meant a relatively peaceful neighborhood to settle down in with resources still somewhat intact.

As he approached the last aisle, he heard a small sound. Changbin froze, listening closer. There hadn’t been any zombies visible from outside and the area was pretty quiet overall. The horde at the apartment had been an unfortunate anomaly. Besides, this sound was much too human - almost like sniffling? He inched forward slowly. Even if it was another live person, he couldn’t trust that they weren’t hostile. If anything, the living were more dangerous than the undead. At least zombies had pretty clear intentions.  _ Brains. Blaargh. _ People were much less predictable.

Cautiously with his bat at the ready, he peeked around the corner and saw a boy dressed in all black crouched in the corner. His head was cradled by his arms and tucked into his knees so that all that was visible was a head of dark hair.

Changbin contemplated just leaving him, but as he watched the boy’s shoulders shake, he knew he didn’t have it in him. He cleared his throat awkwardly to get his attention. When the stranger lifted his head, Changbin’s throat closed up. 

Oh, he was beautiful.

He looked to be around Changbin’s age - likely younger. His eyes were sparkling with unshed tears. He had strong brows, currently furrowed in distress and peeking out behind long, wavy bangs. All of his features were soft and pleasing, but what stood out most were his plump lips. They were glistening and slightly swollen as if he had been biting them. Changbin watched as they parted and curved around words that did not reach his brain.

“I-I’m sorry, what did you say?” Changbin blubbered stupidly. This time he made an effort not to get so distracted by a complete stranger’s lips.

“Can you help me, please?” The boy’s voice was soft and gentle, pitch a touch hysterical. “ _ Please _ , I’ll do anything.”

At that, he leaned forward on his knees, fingers grazing the floor. He bowed his head slightly and cast his eyes to the ground. The position pulled on Changbin’s heart strings. Now that he was closer, he could see that the boy’s shirt was torn. Small cuts and bruises were littered across his exposed, tan skin. He made eye contact and gulped at the soft, pleading gaze.

“What’s your name?” Changbin asked carefully. He set his bat down against the bookshelf with a gentle thud, noting how the other’s eyes tracked the motion warily. He took small steps forward, not wanting to frighten the boy.

“H-Hyunjin,” the boy replied after a long beat of silence. He seemed to force his gaze away from the bat to seek Changbin’s eyes out again.

When Changbin was within reach, Hyunjin leaned forward and tentatively reached out to grasp Changbin’s pant leg with one hand and prop himself up with the other. He tilted his head back and from his height Changbin had the perfect view of the pretty boy’s puppy eyes and beautifully curved back.

“Please, I’ve been alone for so long. Would you take me with you?” Hyunjin asked with a wobbly tone.

This position pulled on entirely different strings. The boy may have seemed distraught and pathetic, but he made for a gorgeous image. Wonderfully soft and submissive. Fragile, someone to be protected. Changbin quickly shook his intrusive thoughts about a desperate stranger away and dropped to his knees as well where he pulled Hyunjin’s hand away from his leg to clutch it between his own hands. This may have been a stranger, but Changbin was a weak, weak man.

“Of course! I mean I have to ask my friends first but-“

Before Changbin could finish his sentence, he had an armful of Hyunjin.

“Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!” he cried, wrapping his arms around Changbin tightly.

Changbin gave an awkward cough, sure that his ears were burning. “N-no problem…”

He tentatively returned the hug, wrapping his arms around the other’s slim waist. He felt so warm and soft. He somehow even smelled nice despite the haggard appearance - like lavender and sandalwood. While Changbin was trying to subtly catch more of the boy’s scent, he felt his arm being eased away. He let it happen easily, feeling slightly lightheaded from the other boy’s presence. It wasn’t until he heard and felt a click that he started to snap out of his trance.

“Sorry,” Hyunjin whispered into his ear before pulling away. Changbin instantly felt cold without his body heat, but the knowledge of what had just happened quickly lit a fire within him instead. He tugged on his wrist, but felt fuzzy, sturdy resistance. Growling, he turned to the side and saw a pair of pink handcuffs trapping him against the bars of one of the store displays bolted to the floor. He directed his glare to the culprit who was wiping the fake tears from his eyes and looking much less pathetic now that he was standing and Changbin was grounded. God, how could he be so stupid? Never trust strangers in the apocalypse! All it had taken to forget that important rule was long eyelashes and plump lips.

“Sorry I couldn’t get you something classier,” Hyunjin elaborated and swept his bangs back to reveal his forehead. Changbin resented that the gesture made him look even hotter. “You take what you can get in the apocalypse, you know?”

“What do you want?” Changbin snarled, frustrated with himself and desperately wanting to punch the other’s stupidly pretty face.

“Nothing now,” Hyunjin said while raising his hand. When Changbin saw the little rabbit’s foot, his stomach dropped. “Looks like this thing really is lucky! It comes with a fresh set of wheels.” He twirled the keys around his finger with a cocky grin and Changbin had never been so simultaneously aroused and pissed off at the same time.

For a second Changbin thought about appealing to him and asking for a bit of leniency, but his temper won out in the end.

“So, what? You just play the pathetic, little slut and snatch whatever you can? Is that how you’ve been living?” he spat, disdain and anger lacing every word.

Hyunjin merely laughed. “Oh, someone’s pride is hurt. But if you must know, I don’t always beat around the bush like that. You just looked so soft-hearted - I couldn’t resist having a little fun.”

“Oh yeah? Why don’t you come over here and we can have even more fun,” Changbin proposed, now staring at Hyunjin’s full figure unabashedly. He looked much less fragile and submissive now that he was standing tall. A fair bit taller than Changbin actually, which only annoyed him even more. He had gorgeously long legs and a well proportioned torso. Damn him.

“I don’t think so, Mr. Grumpy,” Hyunjin teased, poking a pink tongue out. Changbin wanted to bite it off.

“Well, thank you for the ride, but I’ve got to head out. Don’t want your friends catching up, now do we?” Hyunjin gave a giggle and flashed him a smile much too sweet for the scam he had just pulled. “Oh, but I think I’ll be taking this with me first.” When he reached for Big Bertha, Changbin saw red.

“Don’t you dare, you bastard.” he warned, glaring daggers.

Hyunjin merely blew him a kiss and darted toward the front of the store.

“Hey! Get back here!” Changbin yelled at the tall boy’s retreating form, but he didn’t even look back. “Dammit!” He bashed his fist into the nearest aisle and immediately regretted it as cleaning supplies started raining down on him from the shelf.

“Changbin! You okay?” Jisung called, turning the corner. “What are you sitting for? We’re kind of in a hurry here, man.”

Changbin groaned and thumped his head back on the display. “Just felt like taking a nap, I guess. Oh, and this was a pretty good incentive.” He held his bound hand up as high as he could before the cuffs clanged against the metal rail.

“What the hell? What happened?”

“I don’t have time to explain. Just get to the van!” Changbin yelled and gestured to the front of the store.

Jisung looked startled and confused, but he scrambled toward the entrance anyway. It didn’t matter. Changbin could already hear the van starting. Just perfect.

* * *

“I cannot believe you lost the van keys cause you couldn’t keep it in your pants.”

“Look, it wasn’t like that!” Changbin protested for the tenth time, but Chan just shook his head in a turbulent mixture of disappointment and frustration.

“Whatever, man,” Jisung scoffed, kicking yet another rock in Changbin’s direction. He had made a sport of it once they started trudging down the street. After they had spent about half an hour trying to free Changbin without breaking his wrist, of course. They had only half succeeded, the pink cuffs still swaying on his right wrist. After grabbing a much lighter load of supplies than originally planned, they had set off on foot. Changbin was unhappily wielding a hammer now, eyes intently scanning for a bright cartoon bumblebee.

Chan had been close enough to the front to see Hyunjin drive off. They were traveling that way now in the hopes that they would spot him in the fairly conspicuous vehicle - that is, if he hadn’t driven out of town. Changbin had a feeling that the sneaky bastard had hung around, though. He was eager to see him again.

He was dragged from his vengeful thoughts by the pounding of feet on pavement behind him. He whipped his head around to see two zombies ambling toward them, somewhat fresh.

“Hyung!”

“I see them,” Chan said, eyeing the pair warily. They weren’t completely new, but they were definitely faster than most of the zombies in the area. “Let’s pick up the pace. This way!”

They started jogging down another street, glancing back every few moments. Luckily, it seemed like even keeping a moderate pace they were outrunning the two. Unfortunately, their divided attention meant that they didn’t notice they were heading straight toward a large group of creepers until they had already been noticed.

“Shit!” Jisung shouted and jumped just out of reach of a pair of rotting arms.

Chan bashed its head in before Jisung could react further, the blood splattering onto his shirt.

“Dammit, Hyung!” he shouted angrily.

“That thing was already filthy,” Changbin pointed out while swinging his hammer into another zombie.

“Come on, this way!” Chan called and headed down an alley. Changbin and Jisung exchanged a glance before darting after him. The zombies weakly gave chase, but were easily outrun. Creepers were persistent, though, so they needed a better solution.

“Guys, that’s the van!”

Changbin looked where Jisung was pointing and sure enough, there was The Flower Bee parked right outside a small office building. He felt his adrenaline spike with anticipation at seeing the infuriatingly pretty boy again.

“Looks like that’s where we’re going. Come on!” Chan led the way with eyes peeled for any more zombies. They dashed across the street straight for the entrance. Surprisingly, the door was unlocked so they barged right in and slammed it behind them, hunkering behind a wall so that they weren’t seen. As long as the creepers hadn’t seen where they had gone, they would soon wander aimlessly again.

Changbin reached up to lock the door behind them, but quickly realized why it hadn’t been locked in the first place. The doorknob on the inside was badly dented and prevented the lock from being turned. He caught movement coming out of the alley and ducked back behind the wall. He and Jisung both turned to Chan for instruction.

The older turned to scope out the building. The place was definitely a hideout. There was a pile of furniture blocking out the entrance to the stairs and a well worn track in the dust leading down the hall.

“This must be where your boyfriend’s been staying,” Jisung mused.

“Oh, shut up,” Changbin bit back with a growl.

“Guys, keep your voices down,” Chan scolded, glancing out the door. The small herd of zombies was still hovering outside the building with their heads tilted back and disturbingly alert. “Well, it looks like we’ll be stuck here for a bit anyway. Might as well try and get Changbin’s man.”

“He’s not my- oh, whatever.”

“You guys go upstairs. Stay alert,” Chan ordered sternly with a meaningful look. “If you see pretty boy, we’re only looking for the keys, not a fight.”

“And Big Bertha,” Changbin interjected. He wasn’t leaving his baby behind.

“And Big Bertha,” Chan amended. “I’ll check this floor. Go!”

All three crouched down to stay out of view of the windows. Chan headed down the hall while Changbin and Jisung started moving aside chairs and tables to reach the stairs. They moved as quietly as possible while glancing out the windows every few seconds. Changbin clutched the dangling handcuffs with his other hand to prevent them from rattling. Once a path was cleared, they crept up the stairs.

The second floor looked very similar to the back of the first - one long hall with office and business doors on either side. Changbin glanced at the name plates.

“You want the struggling law firm or the upstart marketing company?” he asked Jisung, gesturing to the two first doors.

Jisung shrugged. “I like commercials.”

“Okay, then I’ll check the doors on the right. You check the left.”

Changbin slowly opened the first door with his hammer raised. The law firm looked to consist of one large, gray room with cubicles and an office in the corner behind a glass wall. Depressing white collar culture at its finest. Unfortunately, even on his toes, Changbin couldn’t quite peak over the edges of the cubicle walls. He climbed up on a desk for a better vantage point. After a thorough scan, the area appeared zombie and human free. He scoped out the desks for anything of use, but they looked like they had already been scavenged. He snagged a couple of pens and a cute desk ornament of a beaver.

The next office down had also been stuffed with cubicles, but the walls and desks had been rearranged to create makeshift rooms and halls. There were also various trinkets hanging from the ceiling by staples and computer cords. That explained why the desks in the previous office were barren. He saw a myriad of staplers, bobble heads, and what looked like torn up computer parts dangling in the air.

Considering the renovating and redecorating done, he figured he had found Hyunjin’s main hideout. Changbin ducked between desks and chairs and tried to navigate the office maze as stealthily as possible. Apparently he failed, because one second he was trying to slide past a copy machine and the next he felt something sharp pressed against his neck.

“Don’t get me wrong, you look super badass,” a honeyed voice murmured in his ear, “but those boots are not sneaky.”

“Hyunjin,” Changbin hissed and attempted to crane his neck back to see the other’s face. However, all his efforts got him was a sharp prick to his neck.

“Ah, ah, ah.. Careful, Changbinnie,” Hyunjin cooed and slid the flat side of what Changbin assumed to be a knife against his Adam’s apple. The sensation was cold and somewhat pleasant against his heated skin but also  _ incredibly  _ stressful. He kept his head still and opted instead to simply glare in Hyunjin’s general direction.

“I don’t remember telling you my name,” Changbin grumbled. He had a feeling the pretty boy wouldn’t kill him—he seemed far too entertained—but he did need to turn the tables somehow. He wasn’t exactly in a favorable position.

“Oh, you didn’t. We just had a connection, you see,” Hyunjin hummed, resting his head atop Changbin’s. The shorter’s eye twitched. “It also helped that I heard your friend call you that.”

“So, you weren’t just waiting in the corner for unsuspecting saps? How long were you stalking us?” Changbin asked with a sneer.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Hyunjin said, a generous eye roll evident in his tone. “I was in the store restocking and happened to notice you driving up. I peeked through the window and spied a couple things I wouldn’t mind riding.”

He tilted his head down and nuzzled slightly into Changbin’s head.

“I managed to steal one,” he murmured, his warm breath rustling Changbin’s hair. “Still working on the other.”

Changbin gave a hard swallow, cheeks undoubtedly flushed despite the cheesy line. He could feel the taller’s soft, yet firm body lightly pressed against his back. The hand that wasn’t holding the knife to his throat trailed up his arm with a feather light touch and left goosebumps in its wake. Changbin was very pent up and very gay, making this a dangerous situation - if not for the sharp object and his slightly wounded pride he’d be far more tempted.

As it were, he had to get a grip and try to salvage the situation.

“Unfortunately, you’ll have to try harder.” Changbin snapped his head back, feeling it clack against Hyunjin’s chin.

The other yelped and took a step back, loosening his grip on the knife. Changbin took the opportunity to grab his slim wrist and wrench it down. He spun his own body around the taller’s and took the arm with him until he had it pinned against a firm back. Hyunjin grunted as his shoulder was stretched uncomfortably. The knife clattered to the floor.

“So, you do have some spine,” Hyunjin teased with a tense little giggle.

“Shut up,” Changbin growled and forced his arm back further. He felt satisfaction as the other let out a small whimper. Hyunjin squirmed a bit, arching his back to relieve some of the pressure. It was a power trip and Changbin almost felt a bit of his wounded pride healing at inflicting some humiliation back on the other. He pushed his back forward even further until the taller’s head was almost resting against Changbin’s shoulder.

“Ah, Changbinnie,” Hyunjin gasped, “I like it rough but you’re pushing your luck.”

In the next second, Changbin felt his world turning over. His leg flew out from under him and he pitched forward, his momentum multiplying exponentially until he was flipped over onto his back. The breath whooshed out of his body in a long huff. His mind was reeling from the abrupt change in position. Before he could properly react, there was a knee pressing into his stomach and his arms were pinned down by a foot and a strong grip.

“Violence isn’t the answer,” Hyunjin tutted. He tilted his head and looked down his nose at Changbin who was bristling with indignation.

“Really? You seem violent enough,” he countered, testing the other’s strength. Hyunjin just barely seemed strong enough to hold him at the unfavorable position. If Changbin could distract him, he could probably push him off.

“You consider this violent?” Hyunjin scoffed while leaning down into Changbin’s face with a sweet smile. “Darling, this is just foreplay.”

“Hope you’re open to threesomes.”

Changbin’s eyes widened at the blade poised by Hyunjin’s neck and the familiar voice taunting him.

“Sorry, was I interrupting?” Jisung asked. He peaked at Changbin from behind Hyunjin. His brow raised, very clearly judging Changbin for his compromising position.

“Actually, yes,” snarked Hyunjin before Changbin could respond. “Though I don’t suppose you’d leave if I asked?”

“Gladly,” Jisung agreed, “But I’ll be taking our van with me.”

Changbin cleared his throat obnoxiously.

“And that guy.”

“That’s a shame,” Hyunjin sighed with an exaggerated pout. “I was growing pretty fond of him.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Jisung scoffed. He tapped Hyunjin’s neck with the flat side of his blade. “I’m gonna have to ask you to dismount. We’ve got places to be.”

Hyunjin looked conflicted for a moment - the first sign of uncertainty that he had shown since dropping his facade. Eventually, he got up with a heavy sigh with hands raised in surrender. Changbin groaned and stood up and dusted himself off unnecessarily. He made eye contact with Hyunjin for a moment, trying to convey his frustration. The other’s eyes conveyed a similar sentiment.

“Thanks,” he said to Jisung, walking past Hyunjin to reach his side.

“Happy to cockblock, I guess,” Jisung teased.

“Oh my god,” Changbin groaned, dragging his hand down his face.

“So, what are we doing with lover boy here?” Jisung asked, gesturing toward the still motionless Hyunjin.

Changbin shrugged. Honestly, as infuriating as the other was, he didn’t want to kill him. If anything, he found him to be a fresh presence in the face of the apocalypse and enjoyed their banter. Not to mention, he was ridiculously pretty to look at. Unfortunately, he doubted Chan or Jisung would get behind keeping him as a prisoner. Before he could respond, though, there was a crash downstairs. He and Jisung both turned their heads to the door and Hyunjin took that opportunity to dart away into the maze of office furniture.

“Shit!” Jisung snapped. He glanced at the direction Hyunjin had gone before shaking his head and darting toward the door. “Come on, we have to check on Chan!”

Changbin caught a glimpse of Hyunjin’s retreating form and privately wished him well before following after Jisung.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, they found the source of the noise. The door had been busted down by the small horde from before. The two faster zombies were already ambling toward the back where Chan had gone.

“Hyung! Incoming!” Changbin called. He and Jisung jumped over the tables and readied their weapons to take on the creepers. Luckily, the remaining zombies weren’t particularly threatening, but they did seem to stream into the building endlessly. After a few minutes of fighting through gore, Changbin’s arm was already getting tired, unused to wielding the hammer. Jisung’s sword was getting dull after slicing through the necks of so many undead. He had resorted to stabbing them in the eye with it instead of swinging. They were both concerned for Chan who hadn’t re-emerged from the back yet.

Changbin had landed himself in a corner by the stairwell, backed against the wall by a particularly persistent zombie with a fresh dent in his skull. He swung his arm back for a more powerful finishing blow then practically popped it out of place when the broken handcuff caught on the stairwell. As if sensing Changbin’s dilemma, the zombie got a burst of energy and lunged forward.

“Dammit!” Changbin yelled while raising his free arm to try and hold the thing off. His heart pounded against his chest as his mind raced through the panic to find a better solution.

Before the zombie could reach him, Changbin saw a shadow leap over the rail and tackle it to the ground. He recognized the taller in an instant and could only watch with wide eyes as Hyunjin straddled the zombie in a familiar position and raised an even more familiar bat to deliver the final blow. Blood sprayed out upon impact and Hyunjin flinched away. He stood up and wiped his face off with the back of his hand.

When he turned, he still had red streaks across his cheek and way more blood than one zombie warranted on his clothing. He didn’t say anything at first, merely cocked a brow at Changbin's shocked expression and made his way over. He lifted Big Bertha up and used it to break one of the rails the handcuff was caught between. Changbin barely caught it as Hyunjin tossed the bat to him.

“Take it,” he said with a sigh. “It’s not really my style anyway. Too messy.”

Changbin was a little embarrassed and a little star struck, so he didn’t respond right away. Instead, Jisung ran up and broke the uncomfortable silence.

“Hey, pretty boy! You couldn’t have dropped in a little earlier?” he snapped with a disgruntled snarl of his upper lip.

“You’re lucky I decided to come at all,” Hyunjin scoffed back. “Besides, I had to help your friend first.”

On cue, Chan rounded the corner of the hall and dashed toward them.

“Are you guys okay?” he asked, breathing heavily. No longer holding the golf club, he appeared to be wielding a potted plant instead. No, on closer inspection, he was dual wielding potted plants.

“Yes, yes, everyone’s fine. Now, can we continue this discussion after we’ve finished greeting all of our visitors?” Hyunjin asked with a gesture to the few zombies remaining by the entrance.

“After you,” Jisung said and swept his arm toward the door.

Hyunjin glared at the blond, but accepted the challenge. He silently drew what looked like a sharpened letter opener from his pocket and approached the creepers with an easy confidence. He made short work of stabbing each of them straight through the eye or mouth while carefully avoiding the following spray of blood. His movements were fast and graceful - well-controlled. Even if they were pretty easy kills, he made it look almost like dancing. Changbin really had to get a hold of himself.

“Does that pass your test, oh great one?” Hyunjin asked once he’d pulled his letter opener out of the last zombie’s eye. He gave an exaggerated bow and kept his eyes on Jisung.

Jisung bristled, but Hyunjin probably didn’t notice. Changbin and Chan could get away with teasing Jisung relentlessly, but he didn’t accept any signs of disrespect from anyone else.

“At the least, I guess I won’t kill you anymore,” he allowed, turning away to clean the blood and gore off of his blade.

“As if you could,” Hyunjin quipped.

Jisung snapped his head back up, fire in his eyes. Before he could start something serious, though, Chan threw his arm across his chest and motioned for him to let it go. For a moment, it looked like Jisung was going to ignore him, then he spat at the ground and turned away.

“Thank you for your assistance,” Chan said sincerely and gave Hyunjin a short bow. The other looked taken aback.

“You’re thanking me after I stole your car?” Hyunjin chuckled in disbelief. Changbin didn’t blame him. People like Chan were rare even before the apocalypse. The idea of someone with a good heart and good intentions essentially died along with most of the population. Even Changbin and Jisung had sacrificed pieces of their humanity, but Chan stayed golden somehow. More than friendship or protection, that’s why they followed him. He made them feel more human.

“Let’s just call it even,” Chan smiled and offered his hand. Jisung huffed and went back to tending to his sword.

“You’re an odd bird,” Hyunjin commented, but he approached them anyway and took Chan’s hand. He had a small smile on his face - the first bit of genuine emotion Changbin had seen on the other.

Chan held the slim hand in a firm grip for a moment and met Hyunjin’s eyes with his own meaningful gaze. Changbin could see the offer on the tip of his tongue. Hell, he was thinking of inviting Hyunjin along himself, but ultimately it was his hyung’s decision. For whatever reason, Chan let their hands drop and turned back to Changbin and Jisung.

“Okay, crew, let’s head out.”

“Wait, what about your van? You’re not taking it back?” Hyunjin asked warily.

“Yeah, we’re not?” Jisung exclaimed. “It’s three versus one, hyung.”

Hyunjin tensed at that. The grip on his knife tightened in preparation. Jisung was readying his freshly cleaned sword and Changbin was just waiting. Chan obviously had a plan, but if Jisung was too hot headed he would be ready to step in.

“No, he stole that van fair and square,” Chan said.

Changbin snorted loudly. Right. Fair and square his ass. Jisung looked equally as affronted at that.

“It’s yours for the keeping. Apocalypse rules.” Chan clapped Hyunjin on the shoulder as he passed by. Changbin almost laughed at his bewildered expression. He had a vague idea of what Chan was going for now and he only hoped the other wouldn’t disappoint. After seeing the challenge in his eyes and hearing the life in his voice, he had a feeling he wouldn’t - which meant their little party was about to get much more interesting.

Jisung muttered to himself but followed after Chan without much fuss. He shoulder-checked Hyunjin on the way out, but the taller barely reacted beyond a short glare. Changbin could tell Hyunjin was trying to figure Chan out and contemplating what his own next move would be. As he moved toward the door as well, he tried to catch Hyunjin’s gaze. When pretty dark eyes lifted up to meet his, Changbin gave what he hoped was an enticing—and challenging—smirk.

“I’ll see you around, pretty boy,” he said simply, maintaining a comfortable distance from the other on his way out. Changbin tried not to look back, but he only lasted until he had cleared the entrance. He cast a subtle glance through the dirty window and saw that the boy had already disappeared. Disappointment swept through him in a crashing wave, but he did his best not to show it.

“I can’t believe we’re just leaving,” Jisung grumbled while staring at the brightly painted bee parked right in front of the building. “She’s literally right here. We could just take her. Pretty boy wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Now, now,” Chan soothed. “We have to maintain a bit of honor.”

“Chan, I get that you’re a good guy but this is too much even for you,” Jisung said with exasperation. He sheathed his sword, though, having given up the fight. Without the blade in hand, he busied himself by kicking at rubble again.

“You’re awfully quiet, Changbin.”

Changbin looked up at Chan, surprised the older was addressing him.

“Disappointed?”

It was tempting, but Changbin didn’t rise to the bait. He was used to Chan’s mind games.

“I wouldn’t have minded having a pretty face to look at. Beats staring at your ugly mugs all the time,” he teased.

Predictably, Jisung started protesting. Changbin and Chan both ignored him and started trying to plan their next move. If they really were going to leave the vehicle behind, they had limited options before nightfall.

“We can always hole up in a house till morning. Make it as far as we can?” Changbin suggested.

“Yeah. That may be our best bet. Stick to the main roads for visibility. Hopefully we can-“

Chan was interrupted by something small clinking on the ground at their feet. They all looked down and saw a familiar rabbit’s foot. Changbin felt his heart rate pick up. While they were staring at the ground, there was a loud clatter right by their heads and all three jumped about a foot in the air. Changbin whipped his head up and couldn’t resist the broad grin that crept onto his face. Crouched on the hood of The Flower Bee sat Hyunjin.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Jisung snapped. “This is the apocalypse, man. You can’t just scare us like that!”

“Oh, relax,” Hyunjin teased. “Like a warning would help you anyway.”

“So, you decided to accept my offer?” Chan asked, slapping a hand over Jisung’s mouth.

“If you could call it that,” Hyunjin scoffed. He hopped down from the van and landed in the dirt mere inches from Changbin’s boots. He stared down at him through messy bangs and Changbin subconsciously stood taller.

“I figure you guys are more interesting than traveling alone.” Hyunjin reached out and grabbed Changbin’s hand and drew it between them. Changbin was too engrossed staring at the other’s plush lips to notice what he was doing until he felt the metal that had been cutting into his wrist for the past hour and a half pull away. He brought his hand back and massaged the bruised area gingerly. Hyunjin tossed the broken cuffs onto the ground.

“Shame,” he said regretfully, then turned and gave Changbin a sharp smirk. “I’ll have to get some new ones soon.”

“Shotgun!” Jisung shouted and snatched up the keys, effectively ruining the moment. “No way I’m riding in the back with that asshole.”

“That’s fine, I’ll ride in the back with Binnie!” Hyunjin chirped.

“ _ Binnie? _ ” Changbin exclaimed at the nickname.

“Then I’ll drive,” Chan chuckled, opening the driver’s seat.

“Wait, you said I could drive next!” Changbin protested, running to the other side of the car and avoiding looking at Hyunjin’s beaming face in the back. 

“Hyung~!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! There will be much more to this fic. I already have 3 chapters written but I'm going to wait until I get a little further before posting with a regular schedule. I just wanted to go ahead and post the first chapter to celebrate their comeback!
> 
> This chapter can also technically be read as a one-shot as it has a fairly different tone from the rest of the fic. After this it will get more serious, so feel free to treat this as a standalone. I wrote this chapter while watching Z Nation (zombies on crack) and I wrote the rest while watching The Walking Dead, if that gives you some context. haha So prepare for some angsty times!
> 
> Stream GO Live and support our amazing, talented boys!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are a bit rocky with Hyunjin added to the mix but when Chan encounters another beautiful boy it looks like their little family isn't done growing yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! So this a bit of a heavier chapter than the first. I warned y'all that things would start getting darker/more serious. This is also where the rape/noncon tag comes in. There is nothing explicit, it is only alluded to that it has happened in the past/will happen in the future. Please take care of yourselves if these themes make you uncomfortable. <3

Chan considered himself to be a pretty strong person with a good heart. Even during the apocalypse he tried to maintain his principles and live in a way that he could be satisfied with. He kept a fairly level head and displayed a patience and kindness he knew was hard to come by and would rarely be returned. Despite all of his inner strength and values though, he was two seconds away from smashing Jisung and Hyunjin’s skulls together.

“Oh, I’m sorry, princess. Is this suite not acceptable to you?” Jisung sneered. 

They were at the campgrounds just outside of town. After clearing the area of a small wandering hoard of creepers, Jisung had spotted a large tent they could hole up in but Hyunjin was against the idea. Even before the tent issue, the past day and a half had been spent listening to the two bicker incessantly over nothing and everything. They were on completely different wavelengths and it was wearing on Chan’s nerves.

“We’re fresh out of goose feather sleeping bags but I do have a mud mask right here you can rub your mug in. Don’t want your skin breaking out.”

“Oh, come off it, douchebag,” Hyunjin retorted with a dramatic eye roll. “This may be the apocalypse but we can still have  _ some _ standards and I am  _ not  _ sleeping in a tent we just pulled a dead body out of!”

“This is the only tent big enough to fit all of us,” Jisung pointed out.

“Why do we all have to share a tent anyway?” Hyunjin asked. “Can’t we just split into pairs?” He cast a not-so-subtle glance toward Changbin who blushed lightly but raised his brow in challenge anyway.

“Oh, so we can listen to you two boning and attracting every zombie in a ten mile radius with your pig squeals?” Jisung scoffed. “No fucking thanks.”

“ _ Excuse me _ ?”

Chan rubbed his temple to stave off the oncoming headache and consider their options. Before, when there had only been the three of them, there had been no reason to split up to sleep. Even now, he wasn’t comfortable with the idea of separating while they were so vulnerable. But they could switch off guard in pairs.

“Okay!” Chan snapped, silencing the near screaming match. “Stop shouting or we won’t have to worry about sleeping here cause it will be overrun. We can find a smaller, less corpse-y tent and take guard in pairs. Just keep it PG.” Chan gave Hyunjin and Changbin both pointed looks. The latter looked sheepish but their new addition merely grinned shamelessly.

“For now, we need to scout the area before it gets dark. I’ll go West, Hyunjin you go North, Jisung go East, and Changbin South. Cover a good area but don’t go any further than 15 minutes out. Everyone back within an hour or we come looking. Good?”

“Shouldn’t one of us go with pretty boy? He’s probably not used to actually lifting a finger,” Jisung quipped, jabbing his thumb at Hyunjin.

“If you wanted to spend more time with me you could have just said so,” Hyunjin teased, batting his eyes.

Jisung pretended to gag.

“He survived on his own before us,” Chan pointed out. It was part of the reason he had invited him along. The boy could obviously take care of himself.

“Okay, everyone armed?” The three held up various weapons and Chan hoisted his newly acquired axe up against his shoulder. “Head out!”

Chan headed due west for around 10 minutes, encountering nothing but trees and foliage. His little axe wasn’t as efficient as he had hoped at chopping away tree branches, but he managed to duck and weave around them with minor scrapes. That is until he caught a particularly feisty root and fell face first in the dirt.

For a moment he just laid there, face squished against the ground, contemplating the point of even getting up in a way that was only half-ironic. Soon enough, though, a bug crawled by and he snapped right up. With a look of resigned disgust he dusted himself off the best he could and trudged onward what was probably Southwest.

Honestly, it was a nice campground. If it could be called that anymore. It had largely been taken back over by nature, overgrown with plant life and overrun with small creatures. Chan thought it was almost poetic. Before he could get too philosophical about the plant infested golf cart, though, he heard something much more exciting. The babbling of a creek.

He practically tripped again in his haste to chase after the sound. He couldn’t remember the last time they had encountered fresh water. His recent spill in the dirt had only compounded upon the total amount of sweat and grime coating his skin. Nothing sounded better than an ice cold dip in the creek.

Finally he broke through the tree line and saw the beautiful brooke. It was wider than Chan had expected, spanning about seven to eight feet. The water looked amazingly clear and the sun glinting off of it created a heavenly image. It was perfect. Chan could really see a future for them there. They could have access to fresh water and fish. He didn’t know much about farming but he was sure they could figure out a little irrigation system and maybe find some seeds. First thing was first, though. He desperately needed a dip in the water.

Chan gauged that he had around 15 minutes before he needed to start heading back, so he did a quick check around the vicinity to look for any zombies. He encountered one and ended it quickly, but aside from that it was quiet. Without wasting any time, he propped his axe against a nearby tree and stripped his shirt, shoes, and socks off. He merely rolled up his pant legs, still somewhat cautious for the moment and not wanting to be caught with his pants down. In seconds he was knee deep in the cold water with his head tilted back in bliss.

After reveling in the pure refreshing feeling, he started to splash some water on his face, rubbing and washing away as much filth as he could. The water around him turned murky so he only scrubbed harder. After he was satisfied with his face he massaged his fingers through his long, curly hair. Soaked through, the strands flopped flat and wet against his face. The apocalypse had dropped grooming down to a lower priority but his hair could use a cut. He flopped the brown mop back and started cleaning his chest and arms.

Chan was so consumed with sloughing off a year’s worth of filth he didn’t notice the sound of approaching footsteps until a figure burst through the tree line and landed in the water a few feet away. The resulting splash startled Chan into falling backward and landing on his rear right in the mud. He scrambled up to assess what had literally just dropped in on him and found himself surprised again when he was met with the face of an angel. Kneeling in the stream was a boy, a bit younger than him, with lavender hair plastered down by the water. His face was angular, well-proportioned, and frozen in a look of pure terror.

“Are-are you okay?” Chan asked, inching forward slightly so as not to frighten the boy any further.

It didn’t have the intended effect as the light-haired beauty started scrambling backward toward the opposite bank. His bare feet slipped on the rocks, though, so he made little progress.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay!” Chan stopped moving and held his hands up in the universal sign of someone harmless.

The boy stopped retreating, but his eyes were still wide and he was shivering violently. Now that Chan could get a longer look, he realized that the other was barely wearing any clothing. Just a dark tank top and boxers hanging over an alarmingly slim frame. Chan debated between what to do next. He wanted to help but the poor thing was incredibly skittish.

“My name is Bang Chan, but you can call me Chan,” he started, pressing his hand against his chest to indicate himself. “Or Chris, I suppose.”

That seemed to catch the other’s attention. His expression finally shifted a bit and became more curious than alarmed.

“Chris..?” the boy intoned softly with a surprisingly deep timbre.

“Yeah, that’s my English name,” Chan tried in English. He seemed to be getting through to him better with his first language. Perhaps the boy was a foreigner as well?

“What’s your name?” he asked tentatively, still in English.

The other hesitated, eyes scanning all over Chan, scrutinizing him. For his part, Chan tried to appear as non-threatening as possible. He maintained a small, reassuring smile and kept his posture hunched, head bowed slightly. After a long, tense moment the boy seemed to decide that there was no harm in revealing himself.

“Felix,” he answered simply, but it was enough for Chan to detect a slight accent.

Chan couldn’t resist a bright smile at the small victory. With a slightly exaggerated twang he greeted the other Australian.

“Hi, Felix.”

Felix’s lips twisted in something resembling a smile, as if he could hardly remember how anymore. It was a bit awkward and forced and it diminished Chan’s happiness a bit, but he didn’t falter.

“Why don’t you come over here? I have a dry shirt you can wear? If you want?” he coaxed, trying not to sound too forward.

The other hesitated again, but as a cool breeze swept through the trees he started wading through the stream toward Chan. He counted it as another victory but what he saw next had him disheartened again. Chan could make out small marks all across the boy's skin with every step he took toward him. Once Felix was by his side he could identify finger shaped bruises, small cuts, and bite marks and he wanted to vomit. Chan could take a guess at what the boy had endured and why he was so frightened. He swallowed down his rage and anguish, merely turning and climbing up the short bank to get his dry clothes.

“Here, it’ll probably be a little big but I-“

“Yongbok!”

Chan snapped back around in time to see a group of men emerge from the tree line on the opposite side. They looked to be older than Chan, maybe in their thirties. Felix instantly scrambled up the bank and latched onto Chan’s arm, trembling from much more than the cold.

Chan’s expression darkened and he fixed the men with a stern glare, subtly pushing Felix behind him.

“Can I help you, gentlemen?” he called, voice even.

One of the men stepped forward, hands raised like Chan’s had been before. But the image he presented was much less innocent.

“We don’t want any trouble. Got nothing against you. We just came looking for our dear little Yongbok,” the man said, a nasty grin on his face as he looked at the approximate spot Felix was hiding.

Chan assumed that was their Korean name for him.

“I don’t think he wants to go with you.”

“Yeah, well that’s not really up to him,” the man sneered. “Or you.”

Chan stayed silent, weighing his options. Honestly it wasn’t looking good for them. Chan considered himself a pretty good fighter, but anyone who had made it this far had to be. And he was severely outnumbered. There were six of them and they all looked pretty capable. They were also all carrying a weapon of some sort, putting Chan at an even greater disadvantage. Something the other called him out on.

“Come on, man. You seem like a smart guy. There are six of us and one of you. You do the math.”

He knew that. He  _ knew  _ that he had little to no chance but he couldn’t physically make himself give Felix up. Not when he saw the marks, the fear, and the misery in his eyes. That wasn’t who Chan was. It would  _ never  _ be who he was. So he stepped forward, ready to challenge them, whatever it took. If Felix just turned and ran he could meet up with the others. Chan could stall them long enough then he had faith the others could protect Felix. He just had to take out a couple of them then-

“W-wait!” A short cry and a shove interrupted his frantic thoughts. He stumbled forward a bit as Felix dashed by him. “I-I’ll go back with you.”

“Felix,” Chan warned, grabbing his arm. But when the other flinched he withdrew instantly.

“I-it’s okay, Chris,” Felix said in English with another cobbled smile. But they both knew that was a lie.

“You don’t have to do this,” Chan implored, arm still outstretched desperately.

Felix merely gave him a wry smile and started to turn away. Without any hesitation, Chan lurched forward and grasped his arm again. And this time when Felix flinched he merely tightened his grip.

“I’ll come for you,” he promised. He met Felix’s eyes with every bit of passion and sincerity he could muster. He begged for the other to believe him, to have hope. But Felix’s beautiful eyes remained dull. He merely nodded and pulled his arm away. Chan let him go, and with every step he felt his heart crack.

This was wrong. Everything about this was wrong. Chan watched him wade back across the stream with his fists clenched and his jaw tight. When Felix reached the other side the man who had spoken before instantly snatched his arm and yanked him to his side. By contrast, his next touch was gentle - the man’s other hand coming up to stroke at his lavender hair, drawing the wet locks away from Felix’s eyes. He leaned down and whispered something in the boy’s ear that Chan strained to hear above the flowing water to no avail. Felix had no reaction, but Chan could feel his blood boiling.

“I knew you were a smart man,” the disgusting pig praised. He draped his arm across Felix’s shoulders possessively and started to steer him away.

“Just walk away, man,” one of the others called over his shoulder, “This isn’t any of your business.”

Oh they had no idea how much Chan was going to  _ make _ it his business.

* * *

“Glad to see you made it back in one piece, Your Highness,” Jisung mocked as Hyunjin approached the clearing.

“Oh, Jisung! I didn’t see you there. You blended right into the forestry and I thought you were a squirrel.”

“Hey!” Jisung snapped. He marched right up to the taller and poked him roughly in the chest. “Show some goddamn respect already, brat.”

“Brat?” Hyunjin scoffed, shoving the other’s hand away and glaring down his nose. “I can’t imagine you’re much older than me. You certainly don’t  _ act _ more mature.”

“Oh, yeah? When’s your birth date?” he asked, eager to put the asshole in his place.

“March twentieth, two-thousand, making me twenty-two,” Hyunjin answered easily. “You?”

Jisung bristled as he realized that the other was, in fact, older. He thought about lying but another voice beat him to it.

“Ha! That means you’re older than Ji!” Changbin crowed, appearing from behind a tent.

Jisung felt his face grow hot as Hyunjin’s face lit up.

“Really?” he said incredulously. Then he turned to Jisung and his expression made the swordsman want to slice his throat open. “You should be the one showing me respect, then. You can start by calling me hyung.”

“In your fucking dreams, pretty boy,” Jisung snarled. “Don’t get a big head, you’re not that much older.”

“Oh yeah?” Hyunjin said with a teasing smirk. “When’s your birthday?”

“Like I’d tell-“

“September fourteenth, two-thousand.”

Jisung whipped his head around and sent Changbin a look of utter betrayal. The damn traitor merely averted his eyes, gazing off to the side innocently.

“You’re more stupid than I thought if you think I’m calling you  _ hyung _ ,” Jisung spat before pointedly ignoring him.

Hyunjin merely huffed and directed his attention to his lover boy. “What about you? What’s your birth date?”

“August eleventh, nineteen ninety-nine,” Changbin answered proudly.

“Ah, so should I call you hyung?” Hyunjin asked with a flirtatious lilt. “Or maybe you’d prefer… oppa?”

Jisung was going to vomit.

“I’m going to vomit,” he announced.

“Just do it far enough away from the tents that we don’t have to smell it,” Hyunjin said with a shooing motion.

“Well, we may not be able to stay here anyway,” Changbin mused.

“What?” Jisung snapped. “Why? Did you see something?”

“Yeah, on my run there was-“

Changbin was interrupted by a soaking wet, half-naked man crashing into one of the tents next to them. All three startled and assumed fighting stances before they saw the familiar mop of hair.

“Hyung?” Changbin called warily.

The soggy figure groaned a bit before springing up. Sure enough, it was a shirtless Bang Chan with a frantic look on his face.

“Guys, I met someone in the forest and he’s in danger. We have to go help him!” he yelled out in one big breath.

“Wait, slow down. You  _ met _ someone?” Jisung was instantly on alert, eyes darting around as if the mystery person would emerge from the trees behind Chan.

“Yes, his name’s Felix. He’s in serious trouble,” Chan explained. “I met him while I was scouting and he was taken by a group of men.”

“Okay...so what does that have to do with us?” Jisung asked with a cocked brow. He already knew where this was going.

“Look I can’t just leave him there. You didn’t see him. He needs our help,” Chan stated in a way that brooked no arguments. “Besides, I made a promise.”

Jisung and Changbin both groaned.

“Hyung, you can’t go around making promises you may not be able to keep,” Changbin chided.

“I’m keeping this one,” Chan stated firmly.

Jisung shook his head. There would be no getting out of this. Once Chan had his mind set on helping someone he would stop at nothing. All they could do was lend a hand. It had gotten them into a fair bit of trouble in the past. 

“Okay, but we wait until tomorrow and we need a plan,” Jisung conceded. Then he pinned Chan with a stare. “And you and I are going scouting.”

Chan nodded. “I followed them as far as I could. I know the general direction of their hideout.” He dried himself off with his shirt before tossing it over a low hanging branch to dry. “Changbin, Hyunjin - you two set up camp. We should be back within the hour.”

“Aye aye, captain,” Hyunjin said with a mock salute.

Jisung readjusted the sheath of his sword to lay across his back and followed Chan into the forest. They walked in silence for a few minutes, but Jisung burned a hole in Chan’s back with his stare the whole time. He knew the other could feel it. Soon enough, once they approached a stream—the one Jisung assumed Chan took a dive in—the older finally paused.

“Out with it, Jisung. Being quiet doesn’t suit you.” Chan’s tone was teasing but his shoulders were tense.

“Why did you invite Hyunjin along?”

Chan looked surprised for a moment before he schooled his expression.

“That’s not what I expected you to start with.”

“Okay,” Jisung hummed, “Are you planning on inviting this other guy along too?”

“Felix. And yes.”

“At least you’re honest,” Jisung muttered. He stared off into the trees on the opposite bank and collected his thoughts. In many ways the apocalypse had made him a little unstable and a lot unsympathetic, but he had gotten better at expressing himself when he wanted to. Before the apocalypse the only way he could communicate his feelings effectively was through music. After, good communication became a part of survival and helped him retain what sanity he had. So, he was honest as well.

“I don’t like it. For two years it’s just been us. It makes no sense to suddenly invite a stranger along—a stranger who lied and stole from us. We’ve survived this long because we kept to ourselves. More people equals more responsibility and more problems, more attachments and liabilities that we can’t afford,” Jisung stated bluntly. His mind was still muddled with thoughts and misgivings, but he waited for Chan to say something, to defend himself.

Chan took his time responding, obviously putting thought into assuaging Jisung’s concerns.

“Honestly? I thought we needed a change,” Chan said, staring down at the running water. “Sure, we’d been surviving well enough on our own, but that wasn’t living. That was… a bleak monotony. We were living as a pack of animals. Change is good. Change is human.”

“What?” Jisung scoffed, “The apocalypse wasn’t enough of a change for you?”

Chan cracked a small smile and took off his shoes. “I just think Hyunjin might be good for us.  _ People _ might be good for us. We couldn’t stay isolated forever.” He started wading through a shallow part of the stream.

Jisung could admit that life for the past few months had been, well...  _ boring _ felt like the wrong word, but it certainly hadn’t been  _ interesting. _ A change of pace would have been welcome in another life, but the reality was that the world wasn’t a kind place. There were very few people that could be trusted and Hyunjin fell very low on that list. So while Jisung saw his point…

“Why  _ him _ ?” he whined, hopping his way across the rocks jutting out of the water.

“I don’t know why you hate him so much,” Chan mused.

“You mean aside from the fact that he tricked us and stole our car?” Jisung snorted.

“You mean he tricked Changbin,” Chan corrected.

“Same difference,” Jisung grumbled. “He’s just a spoiled pretty boy who’s used his looks to get whatever he wants. He doesn’t know how to survive out here.”

“You know as well as I do that anyone who has survived on their own this long has to have some ability,” Chan pointed out.

“Whatever…” Jisung grumbled, ducking under a low hanging branch.

“This is about where I lost them,” Chan informed him, glancing around the area.

Jisung just saw endless trees and weeds. He wasn’t sure what Chan was hoping to find but he trailed after him while the older snooped around. Chan crouched down and stared intently at the ground where a large branch lay snapped. Jisung scanned around them and couldn’t find any other notable signs that someone had been through. By Chan’s scrunched expression, he guessed the other couldn’t either.

“Chan, you have a lot of impressive talents, but you’re no Bear Grylls.”

Chan’s shoulders slumped. “I guess we can just start walking, make a perimeter and keep our eyes out.”

As Chan rose they suddenly heard a siren in the distance. Both hunched in a fighting stance, eyes peeled for any zombies attracted to the sound. Nothing appeared, but Jisung didn’t let his guard down. He unsheathed his sword and stayed crouched slightly.

“Or we can follow that.”

They cautiously headed toward the blaring sound, darting around trees and bushes. When it suddenly stopped they increased their pace, not wanting to lose their bearings. It wasn’t long before they heard the snarls. They stopped short at the edge of the forest, taking cover and peeking out into the clearing. Just past the trees there was a large, concrete building. In front of it a small horde of zombies were gathered around something on the ground, clambering over each other and snapping their teeth.

Jisung looked over to Chan and nonverbally asked if they were planning to intervene. Before Chan could decide, though, a door on the side of the building opened and a group of men came out wielding a variety of large tools. Jisung and Chan instantly ducked back down. By the look on Chan’s face, Jisung could guess that these were the group of men that had taken Felix.

They listened to the wet sounds of violence for about a minute before it was quiet. They stayed hidden, tense. At the first sign of movement towards them, they were springloaded. There were footsteps and the faint sound of whimpers. When someone started to clap, they both startled.

“Woo! You sure are popular, little Yongbokkie!” a gruff voice crowed. “First that asshole in the forest then these guys. Clearly we have to tighten your leash.”

Jisung and Chan both risked a peek over the foliage and instantly caught their breath. At the center of the undead carnage was what looked like a large dog cage with a boy curled up inside. He had light hair and was clothed in only shorts. His thin body was shaking as he sobbed. Jisung assumed this was Felix.

Chan made a strangled noise at his side and Jisung saw the devastation in his eyes. Jisung’s own eyes were lit with rage as his blood boiled. He understood Chan’s desire to help a little better. His fingers were already itching to tear into the eyes of the men cruelly taunting the poor boy.

After a moment one of them opened the cage and yanked Felix out. He stumbled like a baby deer, nearly collapsing in the man’s arms. The man wore an ugly sneer on an uglier mug.

“Aw, poor baby.” He grabbed Felix’s chin roughly and forced him to meet his gaze. “You’ve learned your lesson haven’t you?”

Felix silently nodded, resignation exuding off of his pathetic form.

The man seemed satisfied. “Good. Now, I think you have some making up to do.” He shoved the boy toward one of the other men who grabbed him around the waist with a disgusting leer.

Jisung saw movement out of the corner of his eye and snapped his arm out. It thudded against Chan’s chest, but the older barely reacted. He pressed forward, determined to break through the treeline and inflict some karma on the group of men. Jisung scrambled over to block his path.

“Not now, hyung,” he hissed but Chan wasn’t looking at Jisung. His eyes were glued on the group ahead of them and glimmering with the promise of violence.

Chan grabbed Jisung’s wrists to try and move him away. In response, Jisung twisted his arms around and latched onto Chan. He yanked with his right arm as hard as he could then brought his left around to cover Chan’s mouth and stifle the yelp he let out as they both fell with a soft thud.

“What was that?” one of the men asked.

Jisung’s heart pounded and he tightened his grip over Chan, willing the other to stay still and quiet. Fortunately, Chan was smart enough to settle down as heavy footsteps approached them. They held their breath and tried to make themselves as small as possible. As it was, they were hidden between a few bushes and a tree, but the closer the man got the more likely they were to be discovered.

Just as Jisung started to slide his blade across the grass, they heard a growl from behind them. Jisung tilted his head back and saw a creeper approaching a few yards away.  _ Terrific _ . They were stuck between a rock and a hard place. He cursed under his breath.

“It’s just a z,” a voice said from startlingly close by. “I’ll get it.”

The footsteps picked up again, this time directly in front of the crouching pair. Jisung released Chan and swept his sword up quick as a whip but stopped it just before it could peek over the foliage.

“Leave it. We’ve got more interesting things to do,” the man in charge said suggestively.

The voice before them chuckled slightly and footsteps retreated. Unfortunately, they had another problem. The creeper had zeroed in on Chan and Jisung and was ambling toward them, teeth snapping every few steps.

“Come on, go inside,” Jisung muttered. He chanced a peek over the leaves and saw that the group was still standing around. The men appeared to be taking turns feeling up Felix, groping his sides and thighs. The boy himself just stood there with his eyes closed and his expression schooled to one of miserable indifference. Finally, they started guiding him to the side door but at that point the zombie was literally on top of them.

“Ji!” Chan whisper-shouted.

Jisung took one more look to see that everyone had turned toward the building and then stood and sliced the zombie’s head off right as it lunged. Chan snatched the head before it could hit the ground and Jisung caught the body, lowering it with him as quietly as possible. They waited with bated breath until they heard the door open and close.

Jisung huffed in relief and disgust as he threw the body off of him. Chan dropped the head and immediately started advancing toward the building again.

“Hyung!  _ Hyung _ !” Jisung snapped, grabbing Chan’s arm. “You can’t just barge in there!”

“You  _ saw _ what they did,” Chan snarled with more raw hatred than Jisung thought he’d ever heard from the elder. “We can’t just leave Felix there.”

“We won’t,” Jisung assured, “But we need a plan.”

“Jisung-“

“Look,” Jisung interrupted, knowing Chan wasn’t going to like what he had to say, “I know this sounds cruel, but the guy’s survived with them this long. He can last one more night if it means a better chance at saving him.”

Chan’s expression soured as he stared a hole into the side of the building, as if he was willing it to set fire and for Felix to appear at the door. After a moment he deflated, his anger being replaced with a look of remorse.

“I promised him, Ji,” he said miserably.

“I know,” Jisung sighed. “And I’m not encouraging that, but we will keep your promise. We just have to be smart about it.”

Chan relented, frustration pouring off of him in waves. They circled the building, looking for any windows and exits. Most of the windows appeared to have bars on them, but there were two more exits—heavy steel doors, like the first. On the opposite side there was a garage and a gravel drive with a semi parked out front. They followed the path a short distance to the main road. During their scouting they managed to avoid killing any more creepers, not wanting to leave a trail. They also didn’t spot any more humans, but they couldn’t count on the small band from before being the solitary residents. Estimating that they had been out for around forty-five minutes, they set a brisk pace back to the camp.

Chan was silent on the trek back, and Jisung didn’t push him. He was busy stewing in his own rage and anxiety. He felt bad for the guy in the cage, he really did, but the men keeping him were holed up in a pretty secure little situation. There were too many risks for his comfort. He would throw himself into danger without a second thought, or even a just cause. It was the risk to his friends and the look on Chan’s face that worried him.

When they finally pushed into the campsite, they came face to face with a studded bat and a sharp knife.

“Good instincts, but unclench,” Jisung called, hands raised. He had half-expected to return to find the two fucking, so he was relieved in many ways that they had been clothed and prepared.

Changbin rolled his eyes and dropped the bat. “So? What’s the situation?”

“There’s a factory about twenty minutes southwest of here,” Chan started. He explained what he and Jisung had seen. His voice remained remarkably steady as he gave a very condensed recap of the cage and how they took Felix away. Jisung could see the anger and guilt boiling under the surface, though.

The other two listened intently, and Jisung saw the cogs turning in their heads. Changbin had always been a thinker, so he imagined the older was already strategizing. But he had no clue what was making the hamster in Hyunjin’s pretty little head run so fast. He watched the dark hair fall into his face as it scrunched up in thought and felt a scowl settling on his own.

“It seems to be pretty well-fortified, but we may be able to catch them by surprise at the door,” Chan suggested.

“Nah, that’s too risky without knowing their numbers,” Changbin mused. “I have something that might work to get rid of the lot of them, though.”

Chan and Jisung exchanged a confused glance. From experience he knew that Changbin could come up with some pretty brilliant schemes, but he had no idea what could be making him so confident. Even Jisung was apprehensive of the concrete slab hiding unknown numbers.

“Do you have a pipe bomb shoved up your ass I don’t know about?” Jisung joked.

“No,” Changbin stuck his tongue out, “but I do have a small horde of zombies cooped up in a ranger’s station.”

Jisung gave a low whistle. “That would do it.” He felt a rush of excitement at the thought.

They tossed a few more ideas around until they had formulated something resembling a plan to take down the factory and its inhabitants. Something that Chan seemed surprisingly unbothered by. Though after witnessing what the men were capable of Jisung doubted Chan had any room in his bleeding heart to worry for them. The plan still had plenty of risks that needed hashing out, but the main issue was getting Felix out safely.

“They like pretty boys, right?” Hyunjin interjected while Chan and Changbin were discussing options. All three turned toward him with mild surprise. Their newest addition had been relatively quiet during their strategizing. Jisung imagined he felt a bit out of place with their easy rhythm.

“I...suppose so,” Chan agreed hesitantly.

“Then why don’t I go in and get him?” Hyunjin suggested casually.

“What?” Changbin stated dumbly.

Jisung figured out his angle pretty quickly. As much as he hated to admit it, Hyunjin had a decent idea.

“Two pretty boys are better than one,” Hyunjin explained. “I’ll just knock on their door and beg for them to take me in. Then I can get to Felix and get him out before the horde arrives.”

Immediately, Chan started protesting.

“That’s way too dangerous. I can’t let you go in there alone.”

“Look, it’s the safest option,” Hyunjin argued. “Just trust me.”

“Why should we?” Jisung asked simply.

Hyunjin turned to fix him with a firm stare. Jisung met his gaze and raised his brow in a challenge.

“Really, what reason do we have to trust you? You tricked us and stole from us,” Jisung pointed out. “Who’s to say you won’t join up with them for real and rat out our plan?”

Jisung didn’t necessarily believe that would happen, but he didn’t exactly trust Hyunjin either. They had not met on the best terms and it would take more than batting eyes to win Jisung over. Though, he was surprised that the other two were staying silent. Chan was just watching them with a calm, thoughtful expression. It was likely he was psychoanalyzing them again so he could berate Jisung later, but he didn’t particularly care. Changbin, meanwhile, watched Hyunjin expectantly and a bit haughtily. Interesting.

“Well, aside from them sounding like pretty terrible company I guess you don’t have a guarantee,” Hyunjin finally answered with a sigh. “But either way this is the best chance of getting Felix out without things getting messy.”

Jisung didn’t quite accept his answer, but he did give a short nod. Hyunjin was right. Anything else would involve a lot more guesswork and fighting. Privately, he figured they could just abandon both newcomers if things went south. Chan and Changbin would always come first.

“So, what? You’re just gonna play pathetic and hope they let you in?” Changbin asked, unable to hide his sneer.

Hyunjin shrugged. “It worked on you.”

Changbin bristled at that and Jisung snorted. The older almost had as much pride as Jisung himself, so the flippancy Hyunjin was displaying probably rubbed him in all the wrong ways.

“Yeah, I guess wagging your tail is what you’re best at,” Changbin snapped.

“Had you drooling like a dog,” Hyunjin bragged, unwavering.

“Okay, we get it,” Chan interrupted sharply.

God bless him. Jisung was not going to get involved in that lover’s spat. He had been too busy wishing he had popcorn.

“Look, you have a point but I don’t want you going in by yourself.”

Chan directed his gaze to Jisung and the blond felt himself pale.

“No way I’m going in there with him!” Jisung protested. He would not sink so low as to  _ seduce _ his way past a conflict. He would sooner barge in, sword swinging.

“Yeah, I don’t quite think Jisungie here fits the bill,” Hyunjin said in a disgustingly sugar coated tone.

“Why the fuck not?” Jisung asked, offended. Okay, he wasn’t the most handsome in the world but he could definitely get some horny bastards going in the goddamn  _ apocalypse _ . Never mind the fact that he was also abhorrently against the idea.

“Don’t get me wrong, you’re handsome, but I think you’d sooner  _ slice  _ their dicks off than suck them and that’s pretty evident on your face,” Hyunjin explained.

Jisung was oddly flattered and surprised at the accurate assessment, which clashed uncomfortably with the indignant rage he’d been feeling a moment ago. So, he merely stared at the taller, ignoring Changbin’s loud exclamation of “ _ Suck them?!” _

When Hyunjin’s expression became confused from the prolonged staring, though, he shrugged it off.

“Don’t call me Jisungie,” he grumbled, looking away. “Of course I’m handsome! But I wouldn’t stoop to that level.”

He ignored the twitch of Hyunjin’s eye at that comment.

“But I guess  _ you’ll _ drop to your knees for anyone?” Changbin accused.

“For the right price,” Hyunjin answered shamelessly. “Consider it bartering.”

“That’s just prostitution,” Changbin snorted derisively. He tried to seem as unbothered as Hyunjin, but Jisung could see how white his knuckles were from being tightly clenched. What he didn’t notice was the hard set of Hyunjin’s jaw as the other waved his hands, effectively dropping the subject.

Chan cleared his throat to cut through the building tension. “Hyunjin, I  _ appreciate  _ your offer and willingness to help,” he said pointedly, “but I would still feel more comfortable if you weren’t alone. So-“

“I am not-“

“ _ So, _ ” Chan continued sharply before Jisung could complain, “Jisung will be waiting outside the southern entrance. Let him in as soon as you have an opening to. Create an opening if necessary.”

Hyunjin grinned devilishly at that. “Yes, sir.”

“Then the  _ two of you _ will get to Felix and get him outside by the road. No unnecessary risks, understood?”

They all agreed with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Jisung was almost excited at the prospect of seeing what Hyunjin could do. He certainly possessed a...  _ different _ skill set than the three of them, so maybe he would prove to be a worthy addition. They would certainly find out tomorrow and Jisung could feel the energy thrumming under his skin in anticipation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I guess the current vibe is me updating every comeback. But don't worry! The next update will come much sooner. I plan to update frequently for each "arc" with a break in between for my writing to catch up to my posting.
> 
> Don't forget to stream Back Door whenever you can, but don't feel bad if you can't. <3 Take care of yourselves and remember that SKZ are rooting for you!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix's rescue operation is underway!

It was cold. He hoped he wasn’t sick again. They got angry when he was sick. He lifted himself off of the concrete floor, trying to ignore the sparks of fire that shot across his lower back. His left arm was aching too, probably a sprain. Luckily, the pain was dull and he was used to it. He managed to prop himself upright against the wall and leaned his head back with a soft thud. He pressed his fingers against his neck, feeling for the pulse point. It was an old habit that used to calm him—now it just reminded him that he was alive and that he was a human.

While he hated being around  _ them _ , the silence and darkness when they left was almost worse. All he had were his thoughts, which inevitably turned depressing. His little adventure into the forest had provided him with his first taste of freedom in months. Even if he had failed to actually escape, the fresh memory made it easier to mentally escape. He thought of the first moment that he creeped out the door that was usually left so carefully guarded. He had forgotten what it felt like to breathe air that wasn’t stale with sweat and sex.

His legs could barely carry him past the threshold, but once he felt grass between his toes his soul returned to his body for the first time in  _ years _ . In all honesty, he could have gotten eaten by a zombie then and there and he would have been content. It wasn’t a zombie that came for him, though. He heard an enraged shout down the hall behind him and didn’t spare a glance before darting for the trees.

The wind whipped past his ears and his heart raced in his chest and he felt  _ alive _ . If not for the fear of being caught, he would have shouted to the sky. His elation was short-lived, though, as his legs were swept out from under him and he barreled into ice-cold water, shocking his system immediately.

He sat in the shallow water for a moment, stunned, before he realized that he wasn’t alone. His eyes widened as he met the dark eyes of a shirtless, well-built man. The stranger looked a bit older than him and very bewildered. When the man spoke, a switch flipped and suddenly he was back in fight or flight mode. He tried to flee, but the rocks in the creek were slippery.

The man said something else and Felix stopped to look at him again. The stranger appeared to be making himself as small as possible, despite his broad frame. His face held no malice and he only spared Felix’s barely concealed figure a cursory glance. When he searched the other’s eyes, he found only warmth and concern. And when he spoke in English, he sounded like home. So despite all of the warning bells in Felix’s head being swayed by the winds of past experiences, he told the stranger—Chris—his name and accepted his help.

Felix should have known it wouldn’t work. He couldn’t have freedom, or kindness, or warm eyes and a broad chest. He was far too tainted - broken beyond repair. Ah, and there were the depressing thoughts again. He had hoped they would stay away a bit longer.

Before he could sink too far into his pit of self-loathing, the door opened. Felix averted his gaze away from the flashlight as it shone on his face.

“Hey, baby,” a greasy voice called out in a thick tone.

Felix remained silent, eyes trained on the concrete by his feet. This was the person he hated the most. He wasn’t the most violent of the lot, but he always liked to taunt Felix. He pretended that he loved him. Maybe in a fucked up way he did, but his affection was never good for Felix.

“You know I hate to do that to you.”

_ No, you don’t. You love it. You revel in it. _

“But you’ve got to learn your lesson.”

A thousand pin-pricks stabbed at his skull as a fist curled around his hair and pulled his head back. Still, he defiantly avoided the cruel gaze in front of him. Though there was no way to escape the foul breath panting against his face. His stomach curled in revulsion.

“Did you think you could run away with that jackass?” he hissed, voice laced with acidic jealousy.

_ No. _

_ Yes. _

“Did you think you would live happily ever after? News flash, there is no freedom or happiness in this world anymore. Only surviving and taking.”

He punctuated his statement with a sharp bite against Felix’s neck. Felix couldn’t stifle his cry as the sore area was abused further. He squirmed but the hand in his hair only tightened, so he stilled and tried to picture himself anywhere else. By the creek. With Chris. Safe.

It was a small, pathetic blessing, but his tormentor left shortly after, seemingly satisfied. He was the only one to leave marks like that across Felix’s body, as if claiming him as his own.

When the door shut, Felix was bathed in darkness again. He sank to the floor and curled up. His face was wet, but he found no motivation to clear the tears. He simply closed his eyes and thought of the warmth of the sun and the stranger’s last words.

“ _ I’ll come for you. _ ”

* * *

When the sun rose, Chan was already awake. He had slept on and off for about an hour, but his dreams were plagued by images of their plan going horribly wrong, so he decided to take watch instead. First with Jisung, then with a brooding Changbin. Normally he might say something, but his own mind was so loud with worries that he didn’t have room to shoulder any petty jealousy the other was carrying.

Their plan was sound, given the circumstances, but it still relied far too much on chance and luck for Chan’s comfort. Not to mention trying to fit another person into their dynamic. Jisung had not been wrong when he said that Hyunjin was another person to worry about, but he was also another person that could watch their backs. They just had to find out where he fit best.

“Wake up, Ji,” Changbin grumbled, delivering a light kick to the younger’s side.

Jisung merely groaned and swatted at the offending leg.

Chan took that as his cue to wake their sleeping beauty - a feat that might be as difficult as the mission ahead if the last couple of days had proven anything. He had no idea how Hyunjin had survived being such a heavy sleeper in the apocalypse.

“Hey, Hyunjin,” he said right by the boy’s ear, shaking his shoulder gently. The other showed no visible reaction whatsoever.

“Hyunjin,” he called a bit louder. This time he shook the younger hard enough that he rolled over onto his back, which in turn caused his arm to flop over right onto Jisung’s face.

The blond was instantly alert and scrambling to his feet. Well, attempting to scramble to his feet. The floor of the tent was a bit too slippery for his socks so he ended up tumbling sideways across Hyunjin’s chest. This was finally enough to arouse the taller man. He blinked his eyes open blearily and merely raised a brow at the person sprawled across him.

“Good morning to you too, Jisung,” he purred suggestively.

Jisung choked and rolled over Hyunjin’s legs straight out of the mouth of the tent.

For a moment, it was enough to quell the tension of the night before and the day ahead. They all laughed at Jisung’s dramatics. The blond huffed and dusted himself off then started getting ready for the day as if nothing had happened.

After a few more good-natured laughs the others started their preparations for the day as well. They had gone scavenging the night before, so Chan gathered all of those supplies up into two large backpacks they had found. If all went according to plan, they would be burning asphalt in a few short hours and Chan had to make sure they were ready for a long trip. By the end of this mission they also hoped to have a map, but if that didn’t pan out then it wasn’t like they were unused to winging it. No one planned more than a few minutes ahead in the apocalypse anyway.

“Hey, Channie-hyung,” Hyunjin called sweetly.

“Hm?” Chan turned toward the other to see him holding a wad of clothing.

“You said there was a stream, right? Can you take me to it?” he asked while making some impressive puppy dog eyes.

Chan chuckled and nodded. “Of course. It’s not that far away.”

“What about us?” Jisung complained. “You aren’t the only ones that need a bath, though you probably need it the most…”

Chan pointedly ignored that comment.

“You two can go when we get back. We need someone to stay with the van and the supplies,” Chan said.

“Oh, damn you and your logical reasoning,” Jisung grumbled.

Changbin remained broodingly silent, as he had been all morning. Chan rolled his eyes but otherwise ignored  _ that _ as well.

Hyunjin strapped his letter opener to his belt and Chan hefted his axe over his shoulder.

“Don’t miss us too much~” Hyunjin called behind him as they left, to which Jisung flipped him the bird.

Just in case the crew from the factory decided to revisit the stream as well, Chan veered to the north to approach it from further upstream. As they walked, Hyunjin saw fit to chatter about whatever came to mind. Mostly, he seemed to be talking about all of the foods he missed and how he had always wanted to go camping. Chan hummed along at the right parts, but mostly kept his attention on running through the plan for the millionth time.

Thus, he was entirely unprepared when he got smacked in the face with what he assumed was a pair of underwear. 

Chan reeled backwards, almost tripping over a bush. While he windmilled his arms he could hear Hyunjin cackling.

“Oh, hyung, you should see your face!” he jeered.

“What was that for?” Chan demanded after righting himself.

“You were thinking so hard I’m surprised you didn’t turn into a zombie yourself,” Hyunjin teased. “You need to relax some. Haven’t you ever heard of a self-fulfilling prophecy?”

“Haven’t you ever heard of getting eaten by zombies?” Chan shot back. “Or getting stabbed by strangers?”

“Look, you invited me along so I could help you, right?” Hyunjin asked.

Chan assumed the question was rhetorical but he nodded anyway.

“Well, this is me helping you. I used to be a master of getting into my own head and psyching myself out. Before all of  _ this _ ,” Hyunjin gestured broadly to indicate the general shitstorm the world had become, “I was a dancer. So believe me when I say that  _ nothing _ was ever good enough. But when it’s more than just a trophy at stake, when you’re betting your  _ life _ you can’t afford to second-guess yourself at every turn. You move forward and  _ never  _ look back.”

Chan blinked at the surprisingly meaningful advice. Since the moment Hyunjin had popped out of nowhere wielding Big Bertha and saving Chan’s life, he had known the pretty boy could be a valuable asset. However, he had underestimated how thoughtful Hyunjin was and for that he was a bit sheepish. The other had only been flirty and a bit too carefree for Chan’s comfort. He had invited him along because he was interesting and a good fighter, but also because he felt like he would fit nicely into their little group. Now, he was feeling pretty good about that decision.

Hyunjin did have a point. In the apocalypse everything either crawled at an agonizingly slow pace or zoomed by before you even realized it. In the heart-pounding moments, Chan wouldn’t be able to second-guess himself. But using the quiet between to strategize and refine didn’t hurt either. He supposed he could afford to find a better balance. While he couldn’t exactly change who he fundamentally was at the drop of a hat, he could at least try to avoid a hernia.

“I’ll work on it,” he promised and clapped Hyunjin on the shoulder.

The other must have been satisfied with that answer, because the rambling resumed. Chan briefly wondered if Hyunjin was always so talkative or if it stemmed from being alone for so long. He knew if he was alone for an extended period of time, he felt a little crazy. He’d been known to talk to the walls and himself on a producing bender. Chan considered asking, but there wasn’t exactly a good way to ask someone if they were chatty or crazy.

When they reached the creek, Hyunjin was almost as excited as Chan had been and immediately stripped down to nothing.

Chan politely turned away to stand guard. He could hear the other humming again, so he tried to focus on the vaguely familiar tune rather than the day ahead.

It wasn’t long before the humming was cut off, though, in favor of a sharp squeal.

Chan whipped back around to see an incredibly bloated zombie crawling downstream toward Hyunjin. There were eel-like entrails leading its path, swaying with the current. It looked like the thing had been in the water for a while. Its puffy, waterlogged limbs were struggling to drag its putrid yellow-green body across the rocks toward the only human it had probably seen in a while. Every now and then, it lifted its head and made a garbled growling sound just above the surface of the water.

“That might be the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen,” Hyunjin exclaimed with revulsion. He jerked his head around like the sight was sitting uncomfortably in his brain.

“Really?” Chan asked. After all, you never knew what you would encounter in the apocalypse - especially one that centered around rotting bodies.

“I really don’t want to burst that bubble,” Hyunjin declared, taking exaggerated hops toward the opposite bank as if he were avoiding a mouse instead of a waterlogged corpse.

The zombie attempted to change its course as well, but the minimal current seemed to be enough to throw it off. After a few moments of struggling, the puffball gave up with one more frustrated growl. Chan liked to imagine that it was huffing “I’ll get you next time” in the voice of a grumpy old man. He found humor where he could in a time when everything generally sucked.

It turned its head away and continued downstream at a creeping pace. Hyunjin and Chan merely watched it plod along with a gross fascination. When it was a safe distance away, Hyunjin crossed back over and started to dress in his new clothes.

“I just bathed in zombie water,” he stated listlessly as his hair dripped onto the ground.

Chan merely laughed as Hyunjin’s body was wracked with disgusted shivers.

* * *

Jisung had been virtually silent for thirty minutes and he was about to lose his goddamn mind. He had attempted to strike up conversation with the broody asshole a couple of times, but after being ignored he merely pouted. Washing up had improved his mood again, so he had been up to his usual antics by the stream. No reaction. Not even a damn smirk. This was all Hyunjin’s fault. He got into Changbin’s head and twisted it all up. Well, maybe not his head. Either way, Jisung was losing his shit.

“Okay, what the hell crawled up your ass this morning?” he snapped, stopping in front of the older.

Changbin merely rolled his eyes and shoulder checked the blond on his way past.

Jisung was  _ mortally  _ offended.

“Excuse you,” he growled and grabbed Changbin’s arm. “Don’t just ignore me!”

Changbin glared at Jisung, but the younger didn’t back down. He knew that the anger behind that stare wasn’t  _ for  _ him but it was  _ directed _ toward him and that was not okay.

“What, you’re just gonna let some stupid pretty boy get in your head like this?” he mocked. “Has it been so long since your dick got wet you forgot how to think and act like a human- woah!”

Jisung narrowly ducked Changbin’s hook, grateful it hadn’t been the bat. He hopped back out of range and raised his hands in surrender.

“Chill, man. I’m just saying,” Jisung said carefully, “You've only known this guy a few days. I don’t know why your panties are in such a twist.”

Changbin huffed then paced around a bit, tapping Big Bertha against his shoulder in agitation. Jisung waited for him to either get his shit together or decide he liked the blond better with a black eye.

“It’s not necessarily about him,” Changbin gritted out finally. “It just makes me feel cheap, used. He plays it off so casually, like it’s nothing for him to seduce and con people. And I’m just another sucker to him.”

“I mean, you kind of are.” This time Jisung was prepared for the swing.

“What?” he defended. “I’m not sure what you expected given how you met. He hasn’t exactly been shy or deceptive. In fact, I’d say his honesty is his only good trait.”

Jisung saw his point, though. After all, he was guilty of letting his pride get the better of him as well. He couldn’t help but feel like it was more than just hurt pride to the other. It seemed like his feelings were hurt as well, and that was something that Jisung had a bit more difficulty understanding. It also left him feeling a bit unsettled. If Changbin could get this shaken over something so seemingly minor, he was worried about how well he could watch their backs with Hyunjin around. That wasn’t really a train of thought that Jisung wanted to travel down too deeply, though, so he dropped it. Changbin didn’t seem to feel like offering up any more details, so the rest of their little trip was spent in silence.

By the time they got back to camp, the sun was at its peak in the sky. If time was real anymore, Jisung would have said it was around noon.

“Took you guys, long enough,” Hyunjin snarked, stepping out of the tent with his bag slung over his shoulder. He gave Jisung a concerned once-over. “What were you doing there that Jisungie didn’t even get the chance to clean up?”

“Ya!” Jisung snapped, affronted. He marched over to stand in Hyunjin’s face, but it wasn’t quite so effective with the other being so tall. Still, he put on his best angry face and took a deep breath that was going to come back out as a series of terribly witty quips until he smelled Hyunjin.

“Are you wearing  _ perfume _ ?” he asked incredulously.

“Actually, it’s cologne,” Hyunjin answered with a roll of his eyes. “Can’t seduce men smelling like dirt and zombie water.”

Jisung didn’t even want to know what he meant by  _ zombie water _ , so he simply snapped his mouth shut and started grabbing bags to lug to the van.

Changbin was still refusing to talk to Hyunjin, but Jisung did catch him getting a whiff of him whenever he thought the taller wasn’t looking. He could pretty easily guess that Hyunjin had been wearing the same cologne in the convenience store. And by the look on Changbin’s face, it was equally as effective the second time.

“Hey Jisung, I actually have an offer for you,” Hyunjin called.

“What could I possibly want from you?” Jisung asked with genuine curiosity.

“It’s a once in a lifetime chance,” Hyunjin said, holding up an index finger and tapping on his cheek, “Give me your best shot, right here.”

Jisung simply stared at him, dumbfounded. Surely he couldn’t be asking for Jisung to  _ hit  _ him?

“Wait, Hyunjin,” Chan said, concerned, “What do you mean?”

“I have a better chance of getting in the more vulnerable I look. No chances, right?” Hyunjin said pointedly. “I’ve already torn my clothes but a shiner right on the face would really be the icing on the cake. And this would be the perfect time because it will turn color without much swelling by the time I get there. Can’t show up looking like a summer peach either.”

Hyunjin had put a disturbing amount of thought into this. Jisung was mildly impressed and definitely not about to pass up on the opportunity to vent some of his recent frustrations out on the source of half of them. A free shot at that stupidly handsome face? Hell yeah.

Jisung started stretching his arm out, readying it for maximum impact. Chan and Changbin both looked like they wanted to protest, but ultimately seemed resigned. Poor Changbin was going to lose some of his eye candy for a few days. Jisung would cry for him later if he remembered. Hyunjin merely waited with a taunting smile on his face, as if betting Jisung that he wouldn’t do it.

Oh, how wrong he was. Jisung curled his hand into a tight fist and launched it with enough momentum that Hyunjin was sent reeling backwards onto the grass. He actually winced from the impact on his fist and had to shake it out to relieve some of the ache.

Chan immediately rushed to Hyunjin’s side, helping him sit up. Changbin’s hands twitched as if wanting to do the same, but he settled for slapping Jisung on the back a little too hard. Jisung was prepared for the other two to start scolding him for not holding back but Hyunjin started laughing then, looking slightly manic as he wiped a trickle of blood from his chin.

“Damn, you split my lip,” he mused, staring at the red stain across the back of his hand. Then he flashed Jisung a disturbingly bright, red smile. “Perfect.”

Jisung smiled back, feeling better already. “Happy to help.”

Chan just shook his head in weary acceptance. “Okay, no more punching. Let’s get a move on, guys.”

After that, they hashed out the plan about twenty more times and split ways. Chan and Changbin headed toward the van with the rest of their supplies and Jisung and Hyunjin made their way to the factory. They both stayed uncharacteristically quiet on the short trip, nerves tingling with excitement and anxiety.

When they reached the fencing, Jisung pulled Hyunjin along to point out the entrance he would be opening from the inside.

Hyunjin merely nodded in acknowledgment, took a deep breath, slapped himself a few times, then took off to the back entrance without another moment’s hesitation. Jisung followed at a distance and crouched down, hidden behind the tall bushes. He was regretting not bringing a snack as he settled in for the highly anticipated performance.

The dark-haired boy slumped down, adopting a helpless sort of posture, and then pounded his open palm on the door. While waiting he leaned against the metal, so that when the door finally opened he listed forward straight into a broad chest.

The man on the other side looked understandably surprised. He did not appear to be the leader from before that had been taunting Felix. Actually, Jisung was pretty sure it was the one that had almost caught them behind the bushes last time. He was on the burlier and bushier side, rocking a solid dad bod and an average, slightly mashed face. At his full height, Hyunjin was probably taller but as it was they were about the same.

Jisung tensed slightly when the man took a firm hold of Hyunjin to yank him off and hold him at arm’s length. His hardened expression softened slightly when he saw the pretty boy’s features, though. The lecherous grin was entirely predictable, but it still made Jisung want to gag. As if that ape would have had a chance with Hyunjin under any other circumstances.

“Hey, pretty,” the man cooed, taking Hyunjin’s chin in a filthy hand and tilting his head up to get a better look at his face. “What happened to you?” he asked with what might have passed for concern if not for the look in his eyes. His gaze followed his thumb as it traced a path across the bruise on Hyunjin’s cheek.

Hyunjin averted his own gaze away demurely. “Zombies, mister,” he answered with a soft, fragile voice that was so different from his usual grating whine that Jisung almost laughed. “I...I managed to get away but a real nasty one got a hit on me. Disgusting, filthy creature.” He spat the last words out with more distaste and venom than his adopted persona warranted and a small smirk that was definitely for Jisung’s benefit.

The blond’s eye twitched but he attempted to convince himself that he was above such petty anger. The lie didn’t exactly work, but he managed to keep himself from charging in to give Hyunjin a matching bruise on his other cheek.

“Sir, please,” Hyunjin pleaded desperately, “Would you help me? I-I can do things for you. I can cook and-and clean. I just can’t go back out there I can’t-”

The man shushed Hyunjin and pulled him back in a tight embrace. “Don’t worry, darling,” he soothed. “You’ll be safe here.”

He hooked his arm over the much taller man’s shoulders in a motion that was even more awkward than Jisung expected. Hyunjin hunched down even further to tuck himself into the man’s side and to hide a snicker at his expense. The two disappeared back into the building with a stilted little shuffle, then with a final slam of the metal door the show was over.

“Well, that was remarkably easy,” Jisung muttered, creeping from his hiding spot toward the designated side door. He wasn’t even the target of the creep’s gross attention, but he still felt a shiver crawl down his spine in disgust as he walked. It made him do a weird jig that he was very grateful no one witnessed.

Once he found a spot close enough to the door while staying hidden, he settled down to wait. It felt like he was sitting there for hours, legs cramping up and an uncomfortable sweat developing on his brow. When he glanced at the sky, though, the sun had barely moved, so really he had no concept of how long it took before the door was bursting open. He jumped as a heavy body was flung right in front of his hiding spot.

“Jisung?” Hyunjin called, casually stepping out after the unconscious sack of flesh. If possible, he looked even more disheveled than when he had gone in. His long hair was tangled to hell and framing a very flushed face and… were his lips swollen?

Jisung stepped out from behind his bush and pointedly stared at the man groaning on the ground. He cleared his throat, not-so-subtly asking for an explanation.

“Oh, him. He wasn’t the best tour guide—didn’t keep his hands inside the bus—so once we reached our destination I decided to fire him,” Hyunjin chirped, skipping to the blond’s side.

“Well what are we supposed to do with him now?” Jisung snapped, kicking the man, who he now saw was mashed face-dad bod, over onto his back, “We can’t just- oh you have got to be kidding me.”

Hyunjin peaked over Jisung’s shoulder and whistled lowly, “Wow, I’m impressed it stayed up after getting kneed so hard.”

Jisung simply sank his face into his hands.

They ended up tying the guy to the fence with Hyunjin’s belt—“These pants are  _ plenty  _ tight, I just liked the aesthetic.”—and gagging him with Jisung’s socks—“Do you know how rare it is to find clean socks in the apocalypse?  _ Do you?” _ . Hopefully they would be long gone before he made too much noise or escaped.

After that, they slunk into the factory and shut the door behind them. The inside was only sparsely lit by the barred off windows, so they had to take a moment to adjust their eyes from the bright sunlight.

“I’m pretty sure they’re hiding the kid this way,” Hyunjin whispered, gesturing down a hallway that was completely indistinct from every other direction Jisung looked—dark and grey. Lovely.

“Whatever you say,” Jisung muttered while following Hyunjin’s lead. Given that he had no clue how long Hyunjin had kept him waiting, he also wasn’t sure how long until Chan and Changbin arrived for part two of their plan. He only hoped that they would hold out until then and maybe find some working watches in the near future.

After what was probably definitely  _ at least  _ an hour of walking, Hyunjin started pressing his ear against doors. Jisung just hovered behind him, checking over their shoulders repeatedly. Soon enough, Hyunjin stopped and tried to open one of them. The metal groaned against his strength, but didn’t budge.

“Felix?” he called softly by the crack.

There was a moment of silence where Jisung thought they had gotten the wrong door. Then a muffled whimper drifted through, a whimper that Jisung recognized very clearly from the forest.

“I don’t suppose you have any experience in kicking down doors?” Hyunjin asked with a huff.

“Aw, does Princess not want to get her shoes dirty?” Jisung mocked.

Hyunjin stuck his tongue out then stepped back and gestured broadly toward the door.

Well, shit. Now he had to break it down. Jisung walked over to the door very slowly. He had seen people kick down doors a thousand times in tv shows. It had to be pretty simple, right? He braced himself and drove his foot as hard as he could into the metal.

And immediately yelled in pain as his leg positively vibrated from the force. To his immense surprise, though, the door  _ did  _ shift slightly. As he bounced on one foot and cradled the other, he celebrated his small triumph.

“Nice!” Hyunjin called, body slamming the door with a heavy grunt. It moved another centimeter. “Felix, watch out! Jisung doesn’t understand the meaning of stealth mission, so we don’t have much time.”

“Hey! I basically broke my foot,” Jisung complained, gingerly tapping it on the floor to find that it was only tender and probably not broken.

The loud crash let him know that Hyunjin had broken through just as an answering bang sounded from the opposite end of the hall.

“Company,” Jisung warned, unsheathing his sword. “Come on, Felix!”

“Yeah, he can’t exactly do that,” Hyunjin said, voice strained. He came out of the room with a barely-conscious Felix slung over his shoulders in a fireman’s carry. Jisung gulped at the state the poor boy was in. He was only wearing a loose t-shirt, so the fresh bruises across his thighs were on full display. It was difficult to swallow down the crushing guilt and rage that surged through him at the sight. Maybe if he hadn’t stopped Chan the day before… No, he couldn’t think like that. Push the guilt aside. He wasn’t the one who did this.  _ They _ were.

At that moment, one of the perverted bastards rounded the corner with a gruff shout. Jisung whipped around and fixed the pathetic creep with a cruel glare. The man wasn’t fazed, instead his eyes were fixed on his  _ toy _ in Hyunjin’s arms. Jisung started advancing toward him, ignoring the pair behind him and the pain in his foot.

“Jisung!” Hyunjin called but he was ignored.

The lumbering oaf took a swing at Jisung once he was within reach, but it was far too wide and predictable. The blond ducked down and tucked into the man’s side where his arm was over-extended. His freshly sharpened blade sliced through the guy like tender ham, like the pig he was. Like the worthless livestock they  _ all _ were. The guy’s gut split open in a blossoming of red that painted Jisung’s manic grin perfectly.

He darted past the falling man just in time to meet the next taker. This one was almost as short as Jisung himself, so it was remarkably easy to behead him. The last up for slaughter looked much more wary, but he wouldn’t be spared either. Like the others, he mindlessly charged to his death, wielding a bright, glinting pipe. Jisung stood stock still and let the swing come, ready to return it tenfold.

The blow never landed, though. A hand shot out to catch the pipe inches from Jisung’s face and a knife manifested in the man’s neck, freezing his shocked expression permanently. When the knife retreated, the man collapsed and Jisung was left feeling cheated. He whirled on the culprit.

“What the hell, Hyunjin?” he growled.

Hyunjin’s eyes were pinning him down with a confused and somewhat wary expression.

“I should be asking you that,” he said with a raised brow. “Just felt like getting your head bashed in?”

Jisung just scoffed and shoved past Hyunjin roughly. He sheathed his sword and reached down to heft Felix into his arms. It was a bit awkward, since the other boy was taller than him, but he managed.

“Sorry,” he mumbled as Felix winced from the jostling. He was also getting blood all over him, but he hadn’t really thought that through before it was too late. Once he had him settled, he turned back to Hyunjin and gestured for him to lead the way.

Hyunjin huffed out what could pass as a laugh before wiping his knife on his pants and dutifully taking the lead. They made their way to the front of the building as swiftly as they could. At one point they heard resounding shouts as the rest of the motley crew discovered their dead friends. Jisung would cry for them later.

Fortunately, it was pretty easy to avoid them when they sounded like raging hippos trapezing down the halls. They were only cornered once, but Hyunjin took care of the guy pretty quickly. After that, they tried to block their path with whatever they could find. Judging by the volume, though, there were definitely more guys than the ones Jisung and Chan had seen before.

“Shit!” Jisung cried as a couple goons rounded the corner right in front of them. They were too close to stop, so Jisung ducked around the arms grabbing for him. When he came out on the other side, though, he was significantly lighter. One of the bastards had a hairy arm set firmly around Felix’s waist with a nasty grin. The other was flat on his back, Hyunjin having slid his feet out from under him.

Jisung practically leapt at the guy with Felix, curling around his neck in a firm chokehold.

“Hyunjin!” he called as the man instinctively dropped Felix to claw at Jisung’s arm.

Hyunjin was busy grappling with the other goon, but upon hearing Jisung’s shout he kicked his legs out, which connected with the wall of the narrow hallway and sent both Hyunjin and his opponent flailing into the others until all five of them were a groaning pile on the floor.

Jisung was on top, still clinging to the guy’s back as his struggles puttered out to nothing. He saw Hyunjin roll out from the bottom of the pile with his body curled around a fluffy lavender head protectively.

The widening pool of blood was a good enough indication of what had happened to the last bad guy.

“Remind me not to do that again,” Hyunjin groaned, stretching his back out.

“No fucking shit,” Jisung chuckled, reaching for Felix again. But Hyunjin snatched him first, settling him in a fireman’s carry again across his shoulders again.

Jisung was about to protest, argue that he was perfectly capable of carrying the guy, but Hyunjin interrupted him.

“Don’t argue, just run,” he said thickly.

Jisung snapped his mouth shut and followed behind the other, sword at the ready. After that, they got to the door without another encounter. As they got closer, they started hearing a loud honking.

“That’s our signal!” Jisung cheered.

Once they were outside, they were blinded by the sunlight, but when their vision came back they were greeted by quite the sight. There was The Flower Bee, parked innocently in the middle of the road without a driver. Chan was whooping from the driver’s seat of the semi and leaning into the horn. The real spectacle was further down the road, though, where Changbin was marching like a Grand Marshall of death, a parade of creepers trailing behind him.

“Hell yeah!” Jisung yelled. “Hyung, you gotta-“ The breath left him in a whoosh as he was tackled from behind.

There was another thud as Hyunjin fell beside him and Felix tumbled across the ground. One of the men had a tight grip in Hyunjin’s dark hair, the other hand twisting his arm behind his back.

Jisung’s own assailant was slipping an arm around, presumably to choke him. Before that could happen, though, he sank his teeth into the grisly flesh. Deep. The guy howled in pain and slammed Jisung’s face into the ground in revenge. Jisung grit his teeth and brought his elbow back with as much force as he could, pulling at the muscles uncomfortably. It connected with the guy’s side but he merely flinched.

“You know, I don’t appreciate what you did to my-“

As the bastard leaned down to hiss in Jisung’s ear with his absolutely vile breath, Jisung snapped his head up to return the bruised face right back.

That got the guy’s attention. He reeled back and Jisung used that opportunity to flip over and knee the man right in the crotch. After that, he was pretty well done for.

“Grab Felix!” he heard Hyunjin shout.

He turned and saw the man that had pinned Hyunjin whimpering on the ground underneath Changbin. Hyunjin grabbed Jisung’s arm and hauled him up to start booking it to the van. The zombies were uncomfortably close and they could hear more shouts echoing from the doorway.

“Ji, catch!”

Jisung barely got his hands up in time to snatch the flare gun Changbin tossed at him. The muscular man then hefted Felix over his shoulder like it was nothing and started sprinting to catch up to them. Chan was frantically calling them over. Changbin went ahead to the Bee, but when they reached the semi, Hyunjin opened the gas cap and Jisung took aim. Chan put the thing in neutral and as it started to roll forward he jumped out, dashing for the van himself. Right as Jisung shot the flare straight into the gas tank, a few more men came out. Jisung shot them a peace sign and revelled in their expressions as they realized that their sad, pathetic lives were over. Unfortunately, he didn’t have long to savor it. All three of them had to haul ass to avoid the fiery explosion that blew open the front of the building with a resounding boom.

Jisung started cheering, narrowly avoiding the grasp of a zombie in his glee thanks to Hyunjin yanking his collar. He gave the other a sheepish grin, too caught up in their victory to care about hating the pretty boy. Hyunjin gave a wide smile back, then yanked him forward, almost causing him to fall.

“Hey!”

Hyunjin merely laughed, loudly and freely.

When they reached the van, Chan took the driver’s seat and Hyunjin and Jisung launched themselves in the back, zombies nipping at their heels. In seconds they were speeding off, and the undead all redirected their attention toward the fire.

“Holy shit, we did it!” Jisung marvelled, still riding an adrenaline high.

“Um, guys?” Changbin said from behind them.

They turned and saw that at some point Felix had mostly woken up. He was pulling his shirt down modestly and staring at Changbin in wonder.

“Who- who are you guys?” he asked with a thick accent.

Changbin grinned, cocky and cheesy.

“Your saviors.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that concludes the Felix Rescue arc! It will be a hot minute until I post the next chapter, but I made a Twitter specifically for my AO3 account! There I'll start tweeting updates/snippets or just ramble about Stray Kids (mostly Hyunjin). I also may have polls pertaining to the fic. So come say hi!
> 
> Okay so I can’t work hyperlinks 😅  
> My Twitter is @NarcissNarwhal


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their family keeps growing, but not everything is smooth sailing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas (if you celebrate that)! Otherwise Happy Holidays or Happy December! I'm so sorry for the long wait! This is the start of the new arc and it's an extra long chapter to make up for it. Let me know what you think of this chapter length. It's almost 3k longer than the previous chapters.
> 
> Also thank you to flan for beta reading!
> 
> *Warnings for this chap*  
> There is a depiction of a panic attack and the slut shaming gets intense. As always, take care of yourselves. <3

Chan hated violence. He had always been an advocate against it, but in his new life it was inevitable. Violence against the undead was necessary, a form of gruesome self-preservation. Violence against the living, though, was still something he abhorred. Unfortunately, this was not a sentiment he shared with most survivors. For most people, their humanity had been sacrificed or lost entirely in the chaos of the world. In response, Chan’s own moral compass had to tilt to accommodate for his survival. He felt the needle tilt even further when he learned of Jisung's slaughter at the factory. There was no sympathy in his heart, only a small regret that he had not done it himself.

He glanced at the person glued to Changbin’s side, the reason they had been there to begin with. The light-haired boy was slightly taller than Changbin, but with his thin frame and timid posture he looked much smaller.

A few miles outside of town, The Flower Bee had run out of gas, so they were footing it to the city. The map that they had gotten from the ranger’s station indicated that this was the closest piece of civilization. Chan wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea of going to such a heavily populated area, but with the vehicle down and one more mouth to feed they desperately needed a pit stop.

Most of the trip had been in the shade, but it was approaching noon and the trees were becoming more sparse as they approached the city. He was doing okay, but he was worried for their newest addition. The men at the factory had been feeding Felix the bare minimum, if the way he had ravenously devoured their canned soup was any indication. Not to mention aches and injuries the boy had sustained.

Chan felt his hands twitch as he watched Felix sway, nearly crashing into Changbin a few times. Changbin noticed as well, steadying him gently.

“T-thank you, Changbin-ssi,” Felix said quietly, eyes averted to the ground.

Changbin raised a brow. “How old are you?” he asked gruffly.

“Twenty-two,” Felix answered in the same soft tone.

“Then you can just call me hyung,” Changbin informed him. “No need to be so formal.”

“Right, h-hyung,” Felix tested the word out carefully. It came out a bit stilted due to his thick accent.

Having the other Aussie around made Chan feel very nostalgic. In some ways, the other reminded him of his little brother back home. It dredged up old worries about his family, but the pain of uncertainty was a dull ache he had gotten used to. Instead he focused on the warm accent Chan had mostly lost in his own Korean. In the short time since leaving the factory, Felix had spoken very little, and very quietly, but Chan loved his voice. It was surprisingly deep and sweet beneath the shyness. Before the apocalypse he would have killed to sample it for one of his tracks. Actually, for maybe the first time since the apocalypse had started, he was feeling inspired and wished he had his faithful laptop to work on.

“Hop on.”

Chan was pulled out of his head by Felix’s quiet fretting.

“No, that’s not necessary, h-hyung,” Felix insisted. “I can walk on my own. I don’t want you to-“

“Relax, Felix,” Changbin sighed. “You don’t have to, but I really don’t mind. If you’re not up to walking just accept the help.” He crouched then, arms prepared to support the other on his back.

Felix chewed on his lip in contemplation, but right as Changbin started to straighten his legs he hopped on, face aflame.

“Thank you,” he whispered against Changbin’s broad back. “For everything.”

Changbin merely hummed in acknowledgment and hiked the younger up further on his back.

Then Felix turned to make eye contact with Chan, who jolted at the sudden attention. “Thank you, too,” he said in English, tone stronger. “You kept your promise.”

He flashed a small smile, barely a twitch of the lips, but it had Chan’s heart exploding. Unlike the forced smile at the creek, this one was genuine. Chan had made that promise with the desire to give Felix hope, something to cling to. And it seemed like it had worked, at least a little.

Chan was sure he was beaming like an absolute loon, so he tried to control his expression and respond, but Hyunjin beat him to it.

“You know, Lixie,” he chirped, slowing down to walk in step with them, “I’m really the one you should be thanking. I went in and got you, after all. Carried you out, too.”

“Hello?” Jisung joined them as well, pretending to answer a call. “Mm hm, ah, I see,”—he covered the mouthpiece of his imaginary phone—“Jinnie, the ass wipes from the factory are calling and they would like to inform you that you are a lying bitch.”

Chan saw Felix flinch at the slur and frowned.

“What are you talking about, you psycho?” Hyunjin snipped, rolling his eyes. “You were too busy chopping people up. I’m the one who-“

“Oh, are you so self-absorbed that you don’t even remember me breaking down the door and carrying him most of the way?” Jisung gestured broadly to emphasize the legendary feat he had apparently pulled off.

“Please, the only thing you broke was your foot,” Hyunjin scoffed. “The door barely even  _ budged _ .”

“Like you could have-“

“Okay, okay enough,” Chan interrupted. Why was he starting to feel like he was a single mom trying to corral his children, but the children were actually cats, and the house was actually on fire? “Cool it, you guys. We’re almost into town and your howling will have all of the inhabitants, living and dead, on our asses in a heartbeat.”

They were actually still a couple miles out, but Chan could tell that the heated conversation had been making Felix uncomfortable. Whether it was due to the context or the tone, Chan wasn’t sure. Either way, he had needed to put a stop to it.

Felix sent him a side glance but made no other indication that he knew what Chan was doing.

Jisung and Hyunjin both grumbled in annoyed agreement. When they walked ahead again, though, Chan could see them go back to bickering in hushed whispers. He shook his head. After their little mission, he had thought the two were on slightly better terms, but they still mixed like water and oil.

“Hyung, I’m okay now,” Felix said then, wiggling to get down.

Changbin was very obviously doubting that, but he complied and bent his knees to set the other back on the ground. “If you say so.”

From there it didn’t take long for Felix to start panting again. His slight limp was much more prominent as well, a short wince accompanying every other step. Changbin was keeping an eye on him, prepared to catch him if he went down, but keeping silent otherwise. Chan, on the hand, couldn’t bear to watch anymore.

“Hey,” he called, catching the attention of the two stooges a few paces ahead, “Why don’t we camp out here until the heat of the day passes? No sense in wearing ourselves out now. We’ll still get to the city by nightfall if we wait a couple hours.”

Jisung shrugged. “Works for me,” he said, plopping his backpack onto the blacktop.

“I didn’t mean right here,” Chan amended. “Maybe in the shade over there?” He gestured toward the canopy of trees a few yards from the road.

“Ah, that would be good, yeah,” Jisung said, punching Hyunjin’s arm when the other snickered.

“Jisung,” Chan chided, but he was ignored along with the taller’s dramatic cry of pain.

“We should scope out the forest a bit, make sure there will be no surprises while we rest and eat,” Chan said, dropping his bag in the grass.

While the others all started to prepare their weapons, Felix looked unsure. He glanced around himself and then picked up a hefty, promising stick, weighing it between his small hands. Chan found his earnest desire to help endearing, but he knew the other was in no place to fight a zombie.

“Felix, why don’t you stay here with me?” he suggested. “We can inventory the food we have left.”

They had triple checked everything before leaving for the factory, but Felix didn’t have to know that.

“Okay,” he replied quietly, dropping the stick back onto the ground.

“We’ll walk a five, ten minute radius and be back in thirty,” Changbin said, settling Big Bertha on his shoulder. Jisung had his sword resting on his hip, as usual, and Hyunjin was expertly flipping one of his knives. Yeah, Chan was pretty confident they would be fine.

“Be safe,” he called as they left.

* * *

The cool metal of the knife sliding between his fingers was comforting and familiar. It was something he had done for years, not without appreciating how easily he could injure himself. That was part of the appeal, teetering on the edge of a fairly minimal danger, maintaining perfect control to prevent it. Control was something precious in such a chaotic world, and Hyunjin found the utmost pleasure in obtaining it. Luckily, people who were scared or desperate were the easiest to manipulate. And if he got hurt along the way, if the knife strayed and nicked his finger, that was just part of the game.

This thing with Changbin, though, was not familiar. Hyunjin found himself struggling to keep the upper hand, and that was not comforting. From the start, he knew that the handsome man was different from most of his targets. He had wanted Hyunjin, that was obvious, but that wasn’t why he had helped him. Hyunjin had appealed to his heart just as much as his dick, and it had gone pretty smoothly for him. What he hadn’t quite anticipated was how prideful the other was, snapping and snarling at every chink in his armor. He knew that the kind man who had been willing to aid him in a heartbeat was still there, but it appeared he had to peel back a few layers to find him again. It was his own fault, of course, but he hadn’t exactly been planning on seeing the other so often when he conned him.

For several months Hyunjin had been riding solo. Well, mostly. He didn’t exactly count his brief “relationships”. It had been working pretty well for him too. So when he took that leap out the window he kind of surprised himself. But after laying with the scum of humanity for most of the apocalypse, the trio were refreshing and interesting and not an opportunity he found himself willing to pass up.

Even now, when Changbin was pointedly ignoring him—pouting, how cute—and Jisung was adamantly trying to hit him with every low hanging branch—”What? You’re so tall, how can I tell what will hit you?”—he didn’t regret his decision. Their comfortable rapport did make him a bit nostalgic, though. He would never willingly return to his old crew, but he did miss having a friend. He really missed Minho.

“Creeper, four o’clock,” Changbin announced.

Hyunjin looked to the right and quickly spotted the thing. It was a young woman, probably. Difficult to tell beneath the rot and grime. Usually he would ignore it, but they were out there to prevent any guests later.

“Jisung, you want to take this one?” he asked. “May not be as satisfying, but I’m sure you could get a thrill from cutting a limb or two off.”

“Oh, screw you,” Jisung spat. “I’m not a sadist.”

“Yeah, and you’re not a good liar, either,” Hyunjin returned. To yourself or others.

Hyunjin hadn’t quickly forgotten Jisung’s rampage that morning. Part of the blood was still crusted on the other’s neck, even though Jisung had immediately changed into his spare clothes.

“At least I’m not a nympho,” Jisung snorted. “Tell me, did he ask you to suck him off or did you offer?”

Hyunjin rolled his eyes, but didn’t refute the comment. It wasn’t necessarily that he was addicted to sex. Sex was just a very simple and effective way to get what he wanted. But he found that once people identified him as a slut they didn’t easily change their minds. So it wasn’t worth the fight when it wasn’t completely inaccurate anyway. Besides, they hadn’t unlocked his tragic backstory just yet.

“I offered,” Hyunjin answered casually, “But as you saw, we didn’t exactly get that far.”

Changbin scoffed loudly, then Jisung and Hyunjin watched him march over to the creeper, his entire body radiating frustrated energy. He lifted the bat and in one powerful blow its head exploded to the side, the body collapsing to the ground in a gross heap.

Without a word, he kept walking.

Hyunjin raised a brow toward Jisung, wondering if this was normal behavior, but the other just shrugged and scurried after Changbin.

“Wait up, Mr. Savior,” Jisung called toward the older’s retreating back.

“Shut up,” Changbin groaned, dragging a hand down his face.

“What was that about, anyway?” Jisung asked. “Trying to show off for the new guy? Are you going to be hitting on every new person we bring along?”

“I wasn’t hitting on him, you freak,” Changbin refuted. “Kid was scared, still is. Had to say something to make him feel better.”

“Well it worked,” Jisung snorted. “The guy hasn’t left your side since.”

Hyunjin had noticed that as well. Since joining their little band, Felix had been clinging to Changbin. Well, as much as he could without actually touching him. He had been casting puppy dog eyes with a sweet little starstruck expression, as if Changbin was a god or something. Not that Hyunjin could blame the guy for admiring him. After all, the shorter man was built like an ox, imposing and domineering.

“He’s cute,” Changbin said, and Hyunjin felt his eye twitch. “Sweet and innocent. He doesn’t deserve all the shit he went through.”

Hyunjin tried not to read into that, he really did. After all, Changbin was right, Felix seemed like an angel, soft and gentle. But he couldn’t help but feel like Changbin had him in mind when he said that. Hyunjin wasn’t sweet or innocent, so he deserved whatever he got, right? Not like he hadn’t heard that sentiment before. Karma was a bitch and whatnot.

“Yeah…” Jisung mused. “Hopefully he’ll come around.”

Hyunjin hummed in agreement, but otherwise stayed silent. After that, most of the patrol consisted of Jisung chattering their ears off. The way he kept huffing, though, showed that it was usually a two-person act. That answered Hyunjin’s question about Changbin’s usual behavior. Surely there was no way Hyunjin was affecting him this much? He knew he was hot as hell, but not enough to warrant a response like that. There had to be something else behind that pent up rage. Unfortunately—and it truly was unfortunate—Hyunjin barely knew the guy. All he could do was make assumptions and poke at the bear until it whined or killed him. So, that’s what he would do.

* * *

Felix watched the rock roll back and forth under his feet. The shoes he wore were slightly too large, having been borrowed by Chris at his insistence. The older was walking around with only socks. Every time Felix saw it out of the corner of his eyes he felt a fresh wave of guilt. He knew that he was being a burden. That was the last thing he wanted for the people that had saved him, but what could he do? It’s not like the men he had been staying with had trained him. They had barely fed him. Felix wanted to be like Changbin, strong mind and body. He looked like he could take anything that came at him and return it tenfold. He bet that no one could take advantage of him…

“Felix, would you like a drink?”

He looked up and saw Chris offering him a half-full bottle of water. Felix had already drank nearly a full bottle of water himself in the van. He knew that this was Chris’s share, so he politely declined. Chris looked like he was going to protest for a moment, but he simply smiled and slipped the bottle back in the bag.

Felix knew that the older was just worried for him, but every time Chris looked at him like that it made a dark feeling swirl deep in his gut. For the past two years he had heard only harsh words. It had been drilled into his head that he was worthless, only a good fuck, a pretty face. They had called him Yongbok, uninclined to learn his actual name. That wasn’t the only thing they called him, though.

“Hey, Chris?” Felix called softly.

“Hm?” Chris hummed, turning toward him with eyes that held far too many expectations for Felix to fill.

“Jisung called Hyunjin something earlier. What did it mean?” Felix had heard the word many times in that factory, mostly directed at him. His Korean had been fairly limited when everything fell apart, but he knew the word wasn’t positive. Even if a dog couldn’t understand human language they knew when they were being praised or scolded.

“Oh…” Chris looked away then, confirming his suspicions. “It’s not exactly a compliment.”

“I figured as much,” Felix sighed. Chris had likely guessed why he was asking, if his tip-toeing was anything to go by. “Just… tell me, please?”

“I guess the English equivalent would be a… bitch,” Chris answered reluctantly.

Felix wasn’t really sure he wanted to know what his other names had meant, so he simply nodded and turned away again. Chris seemed to understand well enough, so he stayed quiet as well. They sat in comfortable silence having uncomfortable thoughts until the others returned.

“All clear, Chief,” Changbin said, plopping down on the grass by Felix’s feet.

Felix startled, berating himself for it as soon as he saw the concern flash across Chris’s face again. He hated being the cause of such a sad expression on the kind man’s face, so he bucked up, put on a comfortable front, and tried to start a normal conversation.

“Ah, good… hunting?” Except he had not had a normal conversation in almost two years.

Changbin tilted his head back to cast Felix a strange look.

“We weren’t exactly trying to find the zombies, so no,” he explained carefully. He was speaking slowly and clearly, but not in a way that made Felix feel stupid. “I guess we were patrolling, checking the area out to make sure it’s safe.”

“Right,” Felix said, feeling a bit embarrassed. It was a good feeling, though. Honestly, he was amazed that he could still feel shame for small things. It meant that his pride wasn’t completely shattered, just cracked.

“We’ll hole up here till it cools down then find a place in the city for the night,” Chris said, stretching out in the grass.

“Sounds good,” Jisung huffed, dropping straight to the ground with a loud thud. Hyunjin settled down beside him with much more grace, which earned him a recoil and a grumbled “Do you have to sit so close?”.

Felix quirked up the smallest smile and leaned back. Their antics were certainly lively and amusing, even if they did make him a bit anxious. As far as his mind was concerned, a raised voice meant a miserable time for him. And it seemed Hyunjin and Jisung only had sharp, loud words for each other. Felix felt it was mostly done playfully, but honestly he couldn’t be sure. After all, he had only met most of these people that day. What could he really say he knew about them? About their intentions? Could he really say with absolute certainty that they were safe? After all, they had brutally murdered his captors. And he had just leapt right into their arms without question. What kind of idiot did that?

“Excuse me, Felix. I’m just gonna…”

Suddenly, there was a heavy weight bearing down on his legs and Felix froze. 

Suddenly, he wasn’t just spiraling anymore, he was at the bottom again. There was a man pinning his legs, another at his head. Hands all over him, roaming over his filthy skin. He couldn’t breathe. They were choking him, stealing his breath, his voice. The shadows were closing in around his vision. He couldn’t see. He couldn’t-

“Hey, Felix. Felix!”

There was a voice, but he didn’t recognize it.

“Felix, look at me. Hey, look at me.”

Felix used his last strings of sanity to drag his eyelids open. His head was hanging and his eyes focused on the blades of grass at his feet, watched as they swayed in the breeze.

“Felix,” a voice whispered again gently.

He raised his head, though for how much effort it took it felt like he was lowering the Earth instead. When he lifted his eyes, his narrowed vision managed to catch Chris’s warm eyes. He focused on the specks of brown. They danced in the light as Chris flitted his eyes back and forth, likely searching Felix’s face to see if he was okay. He wasn’t okay, but the weight was gone from his legs and his whole body felt lighter. The longer he listened to Chris’s gentle voice and counted the pebbles on the ground, the slower his heart beat until it settled to steady background music to his growing shame.

“S-sorry,” he whispered, eyes still trained on the ground.

“No, you have nothing to apologize for,” Chris hushed him. He ducked his head down, trying to meet Felix’s eyes, but the younger wouldn’t let him.

“I’m sorry, Felix,” Changbin said sheepishly. “I shouldn’t have just laid on you like that without warning. I wasn’t thinking.”

Felix did lift up his head then, rushing to correct him. “No, no! It wasn’t your fault, I overreacted.”

“Seriously, I should have been more careful.”

“No, I-”

“Okay, okay,” Jisung butted in, “I admit it, it was all my fault. It’s okay, you don’t need to blame yourselves. I have committed a terrible wrongdoing and must face divine punishment.” He threw his arms up to the sky reverently. “Devils, take me now for my mortal sin!” A pebble whacked the side of his head and he whipped around with a sharp “Hey!”

Hyunjin was pointedly looking away with a casual little whistle.

Chris and Changbin both started laughing then, and the final weight seemed to lift itself off of Felix’s chest, at least for the moment.

“So Felix, why don’t you tell us about yourself,” Hyunjin said then, stretching out on the grass and throwing his head back to take in a passing breeze. “What did you do before the apocalypse?”

“Oh, uh, I was just a barista,” Felix answered sheepishly. He knew it wasn’t exactly glamorous, but he had been satisfied. He was able to make interesting drinks for interesting people and live a simple life. He missed the warm cafe with its bittersweet aroma and low hum of life. The memory had always given him comfort and brought a soft smile to his face.

Apparently it still did, because Chris was positively beaming at him, as if he had done something wonderful. Felix glanced away, embarrassed. He felt a bit off balance again, but this time he was tilted in the opposite direction.

“I didn’t do anything interesting,” he hurriedly declared. He could sense the others starting to protest at that, so he plowed on. “What did you guys do?”

“Well, Changbin, Jisung, and I,” Chris gestured to the three of them with a somewhat shy expression, “were a producing and rapping group.”

“Really?” Felix exclaimed in interest. He had always been fascinated by music.

“Yeah, we were pretty good too,” Jisung boasted. “Had just gotten signed to an agency.”

“That’s incredible!” Felix cheered, genuinely stunned by such an accomplishment. Jisung preened at Felix’s praise.

“It was nothing,” Chris said, predictably modest. “We had literally just gotten the offer, so we were still newbies.”

Felix was hit with an intense yearning to hear their music, but there was little he could do about that now. Hearing that they had just gotten signed before the end of the world was also devastating. He wanted to ask more questions, but decided to drop it.

“Hyunjin, what did you do?” Felix asked instead, turning toward the taller to find him completely sprawled out in the grass, eyes closed.

“Me?” he repeated lazily.

“I bet you were some flashy young businessman, sleeping your way up the corporate ladder,” Jisung guessed. He looked like he was an older lady gossiping about the neighbor boy next door.

Hyunjin scoffed at that. “Any other brilliant guesses?”

“A waiter or a host,” Changbin guessed, feigning disinterest by picking at his nails.

“That’s pretty tame,” Hyunjin commented, seeming surprised. He even peaked an eye open to look at the older curiously.

“You know how to please people,” Changbin explained cheekily. Hyunjin’s lips quirked up in response, as if he couldn’t decide whether or not that answer satisfied him.

“I think you were an actor,” Felix pitched in. He could easily see Hyunjin as a businessman or a waiter, but he thought the other’s looks and charm would be wasted on such jobs. He felt like Hyunjin must have had a job in entertainment of some sort.

“Really?” Hyunjin said. This guess seemed to surprise him even more, as he bothered to sit up on his elbows. “What makes you say that?”

“Well, for one you’re very handsome,” Felix answered with a light flush rising on his face. He didn’t have any special feelings for Hyunjin aside from feeling indebted to him, but it wasn’t exactly a comfortable conversation for him. It did encourage him that Hyunjin seemed to be considering his words thoughtfully instead of teasing him. “You’re also charming. I don’t know, I just feel like being an actor would suit you.”

“If by that you mean he’s fake as fuck, then I agree,” Changbin interjected.

“No, I didn’t mean-” Felix hurried to explain himself better but Hyunjin interrupted him.

“You know, Felix, I did want to be an actor,” he mused, ignoring Changbin. “But no, that’s not what I did pre-apocalypse.”

“Chan, you getting in on this?” Jisung asked Chris, the only person left to guess. “Winner gets to dunk him in the next body of water we find.”

“Hey, I never agreed to that!”

“Actually, I already know,” Chris said with a sheepish grin.

“What? How do you already know?” Jisung cried, obviously feeling shocked and betrayed.

“You know, it’s crazy what you can learn when you talk to people,” Chris pointed out, giving Jisung a meaningful look.

Jisung stuck his tongue out petulantly.

“So what did you do?” Changbin asked Hyunjin, impatient despite his guise of disinterest.

“I was a dancer,” Hyunjin declared simply.

Felix felt his heart tighten again.

“An exotic dancer?” Jisung asked, seemingly confused.

“No, mostly a hip-hop dancer, but I liked doing contemporary the most,” Hyunjin answered easily.

“That’s amazing,” Felix breathed and he whole-heartedly meant it. He had always loved music and dancing, had even briefly entertained pursuing it. Those ideals had quickly been dismissed as silly and fantastical, but that didn’t mean he didn’t admire those who had chased that dream. At the moment, he was feeling a bit starstruck that he had fallen into a group of them.

“Thank you,” Hyunjin said a bit awkwardly. “I actually wasn’t all that. My hyung was way better.”

“Oh, don’t get all modest on us now,” Jisung snorted.

“You know, I used to dance some too,” Chris told him. “Mostly classical, though.”

“Ooh, like ballroom dancing? Maybe you could teach me some time?” Hyunjin suggested with a suggestive eyebrow roll.

Chris merely chuckled, rolling right past the flirtation. “Sure, I can if you want. But I don’t think we’ll be finding any suitable music any time soon.”

Hyunjin popped up then and did a little pirouette that ended in him batting his eyelashes at Chris with his hand across his chest. “We can always dance to the music in our hearts.”

Jisung aggressively gagged and Changbin scoffed very loudly, but Felix quietly chuckled at the dancer’s antics. He didn’t know the whole story, but he wasn’t sure why Jisung and Changbin always gave him a hard time. Hyunjin seemed harmlessly playful to him.

“Yeah, yeah,” Chris laughed. “We can dance all you want when we get to the city. It’s cooled down enough by now to get going.”

With only minimal grumbling they gathered their stuff to set off again. Now that the sun was setting behind them, the trek was a bit easier, but the closer they got to the city the more frequently they had “incidents”.

“Not it!” Jisung called when another creeper crossed the path ahead.

“Not a chance,” Changbin snapped, spinning his bat smoothly. Felix watched it twirl, entranced by the blur of colors. Comparatively, he felt pretty defenseless. But Chris had stuck behind him to watch their backs, so even without a weapon he felt safer than he had in a very long time.

Two more trailed after the first, and when they spotted their group they all started ambling over.

“Hey, one for each!” Hyunjin cheered with fake enthusiasm. He threw his hands in the air and his knife glinted in the sunlight.

“Oh, fine,” Jisung grumbled, unsheathing his sword.

Truthfully, Felix’s exposure to zombies since the start of the apocalypse was fairly limited. He had fallen in with the crew at the factory pretty early on, and they had only let him out in that dreadful cage. From there he had gotten an up close and personal view of the monsters, but he had never fought one. And Changbin, Jisung, and Hyunjin made it look so easy. They each approached one and took them down without a moment of hesitation. A slice across the neck, a stab through the eye, and a blow to the side of the head and that was it. The creepers dropped like rocks and they kept walking.

As Felix passed the corpses, he shuddered at the thought of doing that himself one day. He had never been a violent or aggressive person before the apocalypse, but he knew that he would have to change if he wanted to survive without relying on his new group.

He sidled up to Changbin again, hovering just out of reach.

“Hyung,” he called quietly to get the older’s attention.

“Hm?” Changbin turned toward Felix curiously.

Felix was eyeing the bat on his shoulder, wishing for a strong weapon of his own. He wasn’t sure if he could handle the brutality of using a bat, but the older’s looked kind of artistic. It was painted with designs that he assumed Changbin had done himself. The colors were dulled by time and splattered with blood, but even so they gave it personality that made it look more like an art piece than a weapon.

Changbin must have interpreted his admiration a bit differently, though, because he quickly tucked the bat into his other side out of view.

“Oh, I just…” Felix remembered he had been in the middle of asking a question. “I just wondered if you could maybe show me how to… kill. One of those things.”

“You want me to show you how to kill a zombie?” Changbin asked for clarification.

“I’ll need to do it someday,” Felix pointed out.

“Maybe not,” Chris disagreed from behind them.

“Come on, Chan. Be realistic,” Changbin chided. “The guy’s bound to fight one at some point.”

Chris’s face twisted a bit in displeasure, but he didn’t argue anymore.

“Although I don’t really know what I can teach you,” Changbin admitted. “Just grab something hefty and swing for the head.” He demonstrated by taking his bat and whacking an imaginary zombie as he made a loud popping sound with his mouth.

Felix nodded slowly. Internally, he was bemoaning his lack of experience. Maybe killing zombies was something that couldn’t be taught. After all, no one had experience fighting zombies before the apocalypse, so it wasn’t like there had been a manual or something. It came with experience, and that was something that Felix was sorely lacking in.

“Why don’t we find you a weapon you’re comfortable with first?” Chris suggested.

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Felix agreed, musing on the different weapons he could use.

“Stick tight, guys!” Chris called to Jisung and Hyunjin, who had split off a bit. “We’re in city limits now, so Z’s will be more frequent.”

The city wasn’t a big one, really it felt more like a town. They seemed to be on the main road, though the sign declaring its name was heavily painted over. Felix couldn’t really read the stylistic characters, but he did appreciate the pop of color. The rest of the town was plain stone and brick buildings. There were several small shops lining the sides of the road, mostly locally owned businesses from what Felix could tell. It was probably a cute place before the apocalypse, but without anyone to manage them the buildings had fallen into disrepair.

Even though the place was on the smaller side, they didn’t encounter nearly as many zombies as Felix had expected.

“This place is dead,” Jisung commented. “Actually, it’s surprisingly not dead.”

“I guess we got lucky,” Hyunjin agreed.

“What about this hardware store?” Changbin gestured to a little shop off the main road. “Small, and maybe we can find something useful.”

“Sure, let’s check it out.”

Out of habit, Felix checked both ways before crossing, then chided himself for being so silly. Luckily the only one who noticed was Hyunjin, and the taller merely cast him an amused little smile. After a thorough check, the hardware store was deemed empty and safe. And since they didn’t appear to be in a residential area, it seemed like a good option for the night.

“It’s not exactly comfy, but I don’t really want to take my chances wandering around anymore tonight,” Chris said, setting his bags down in the back corner. They were behind several rows of shelves, completely hidden from view by the front windows.

“Good enough for me,” Jisung said, dropping his bag as well. “I’ll start trapping the back door.” He rummaged in his bag for some wire, grabbed a few random items off the shelf, then he disappeared around the back wall. Felix was interested in what exactly he was doing, but Changbin was pulling out wire as well so he figured he could shadow him instead.

Changbin also grabbed some things off of the shelves. Wrenches, screwdrivers, and some other tools Felix didn’t even know the name of. Then he started tying them all to the string about an inch apart. At this point Hyunjin had also grown curious and was hovering a short distance away, eyes trained on Changbin’s hands.

“We string up random shit we find lying around and hang it in front of doorways,” Changbin explained without being asked. He didn’t look up from his task, manipulating the wire with careful and precise movements.

“Why don’t you just barricade them?” Felix asked.

“We still need a way to get out quickly and easily,” Changbin answered, finishing up his line of wire. He twisted the end to break it off and started tying it to the doorknob. “This way we have a solid alarm if something gets past, but it’s also easy to break through if we need to get out.”

Felix nodded, tucking the knowledge away. He knew very little about how to survive out in the new world, so he appreciated Changbin taking the time to teach him. As Changbin moved around the store, he kept asking questions, filled with newfound curiosity about the world.

“Come on, Binnie,” Hyunjin crooned from his spot lounging by the register. “Haven’t you spent enough time with Lix? I’m lonely over here.” To emphasize his point he stretched his back across the counter, showing off a bit of his flat belly.

“You know, one would almost think that you’re jealous,” Changbin said acidly.

Hyunjin scoffed, but didn’t deny it. Felix found it hard to believe that the other could be jealous of him. He exuded confidence and appeal while Felix could barely look any of them in the eye for too long.

“Oh, this is rich. What the hell do you have to be jealous about?” Changbin asked, poking and prodding at Hyunjin with his mocking words. He seemed excited that his guess was right, a mean grin growing on his face. “Are you really so petty and selfish that you think you’re more important?”

“No,” Hyunjin denied, voice growing louder and sharper. “I just think that maybe you’re giving him special attention.”

“Special attention?” Changbin spat incredulously, advancing on the taller. “I’m not special to you, remember? Why the fuck should you be special to me?”

“I don’t have to be special,” Hyunjin retorted, “but I don’t think it would kill you to treat me normally.”

Felix really didn’t like where this was going. He shrunk back a bit, instinctively gravitating toward Chris.

“I’m just treating you how you deserve to be treated,” Changbin stated. “You can’t sell sex and expect not to be treated like a slut.”

“Yeah?” Hyunjin said, a dark look crossing his face. “Well Felix was a whore too but I don’t see you giving him shit.”

Before Felix could even register the venomous words a sharp slap was ringing out. Changbin had his hand up and Hyunjin’s head had whipped to the side. They were both motionless for what felt like an eternity. Then Hyunjin spun on his heel and walked to the front. They heard the wire being tossed to the ground and the door slamming shut behind him.

“Fuck, it’s almost dark,” Chris said worriedly. “Jisung, go after him.”

“What? Why-”

“Don’t argue,” Chris snapped. “Just go and get back ASAP.” Then he turned to Felix and placed a tentative hand on his shoulder. “You okay? He didn’t mean that.”

“No, I-I know,” Felix reassured him. He wasn’t upset for himself, but he was worried about Hyunjin and Changbin. It was dangerous to be out in the dark, especially if you were in distress. Meanwhile, Changbin hadn’t even moved, hand still poised in the air.

Chris called the other’s name softly, and that finally jarred him out of his reverie. He didn’t respond, though, merely walked to the front and started fixing the alarm wires, based on the methodical jingles that echoed around the shop.

“We’ll give him some space,” Chris said quietly. “Meanwhile why don’t we see what we can loot in the back?”

* * *

“Hyunjin! Hey, Hyunjin! Slow down, you asshole,” Jisung yelled, jogging to catch up to the taller. He seemed to be aimlessly marching through the street, jaw set in a firm line. Jisung stayed a pace behind him, unsure of what to say. His first instinct was to poke at him, but even he possessed the teensiest bit of tact so he stayed silent.

“Well?” Hyunjin snapped after several long moments of walking quietly.

“Well what?” Jisung replied.

“Aren’t you going to berate me? Tell me how much of a dick I was?” Hyunjin asked.

“You know you were a dick. No point in wasting my breath.”

Jisung had seen the slap coming from a mile away. Changbin had practically moved in slow motion, and after fighting with Hyunjin he knew that the other had better reflexes than that. He easily could have dodged or caught it, but he had let it happen.

“Right,” Hyunjin scoffed.

Jisung cleared his throat awkwardly, unsure of what to say to him. “For what it’s worth, Changbin was kind of being a dick too,” he supplied.

Hyunjin didn’t respond to that, so Jisung plowed on. “I mean he can always kind of be a dick, but he shouldn’t have slapped you.”

“You punched me,” Hyunjin pointed out flatly.

“Yeah, but you asked me to,” Jisung retorted.

“I was asking to be hit back there too.”

“Is that why you didn’t move?”

“Like you’ve never heard of self-punishment.”

“Lay off,” Jisung grumbled. He certainly didn’t ask to be attacked. “One thing you two have in common is misplaced rage.”

Hyunjin huffed then walked up to a fallen shop sign that read “Jessie’s Jewelry” and hurled it through the windows with a loud crash.

“Jesus fuck!” Jisung yelled, hunching down and rapidly scanning the area. “Are you insane? You’ll have us surrounded in seconds.”

“Yeah, I’m fucking insane,” Hyunjin laughed, breathless and slightly hysterical. “God, I’m insane,” he groaned then, dropping to the sidewalk in a crouch with his head tucked into his knees.

Jisung would have enjoyed watching the spectacle, but he wasn’t the only audience. Hyunjin’s little tantrum had successfully drawn a small horde in their direction. They were just creepers, but with the taller throwing a fit Jisung preferred not to deal with them.

“Why was I getting so jealous anyway? It’s not like I should have expected anything different. I just-”

“Look I get that you’re having an emotional crisis, but we’re about to have a zombie crisis so get the fuck up,” Jisung snapped, tugging at Hyunjin’s arm. Unfortunately, he was either stronger or heavier than he looked and refused to budge. “Come on, Hyunjin! I know you and Changbin can’t communicate for shit but you won’t get the chance if you don’t get up.”

“Fine,” Hyunjin grumbled, far less worried about the impending zombies than Jisung was. He did finally get up, though, and the two started jogging away. They were heading away from the hardware store, but he figured they could hide out until the zombies passed and double back.

“Shit, Jisung!” Hyunjin’s voice did sound worried then and it made Jisung’s heart rate spike. He followed Hyunjin’s gaze and saw a couple more straggling creepers about to block their way, but what caught him off guard was the very fresh zombie sprinting in their direction.

“Oh, fuck,” he breathed, his search for a hiding spot growing much more desperate. But he quickly realized that hiding wouldn’t be an option.

Hyunjin drew his knife and darted forward to meet the thing. He threw his leg out to down it and kept it grounded with a firm hand on the neck. Then it was quick work to finish it off. In the short time that took, though, one of the creepers had almost gotten close to enough to grasp his hair. Luckily, he had Jisung with him to take the thing’s head off.

“Why don’t you be a little more careful?” Jisung griped, but Hyunjin didn’t rise to the bait. He was just staring down at the face of the zombie he just killed, one eye socket bleeding out around his knife. “What’s wrong with you now?”

“I think I know this guy,” Hyunjin replied quietly. “He’s familiar but…”

“Well you can have a reunion once we’re safe,” Jisung snapped. His anxiety was spiking as even more creepers turned the corner. He was guessing the newly dead had stirred them all up and if Hyunjin was going to be fucking useless then Jisung had his hands full.

He started with the small hoard that had been following them since the jewelry store. They were the closest and the biggest threat. The reach of his sword allowed him to down most of them while keeping a reasonable distance, but the stragglers were catching up. Hyunjin had finally gotten off his ass to help, and when his back bumped against Jisung’s he almost got his head cut off.

“Looks like… eight more left. Four for each?” Hyunijn asked.

“Sounds good,” Jisung agreed with a small grin, the presence at his back making him feel a little more confident.

He ran to the side to better approach them one at a time and managed two clean slices, but with the third creeper his sword got stuck. There was only so much his sword could slash through before it got dull, and they had been walking the road for a long time. So it wasn’t really surprising, but that didn’t stop Jisung from shrieking out a startled “Shit!” The zombie his precious sword was lodged in was also unfortunately still kicking. It was pushing forward with a surprising amount of strength, which meant that Jisung was being pushed back. He grit his teeth, trying with all his might to yank the thing out but there was no luck. The other zombie had come around and he really needed to deal with that but his sword.

At the same moment the second creeper launched at him an arrow whizzed through the air and pierced it right through the left eye. Jisung only realized that after he finally got his weapon free and sloppily finished his kill.

“Jisung are you-” Hyunjin cut off as he saw the arrow. “No way…” he breathed.

Jisung was going to ask him what the fuck was going on but before he could they heard the loud thump of someone’s boots hitting the pavement. He whipped around, blunt sword at the ready and was met with the finest specimen he had ever seen in his twenty-two years of life, including pre-apocalypse before his standards took a drastic nose dive.

The guy looked to be a little taller than Jisung, not like that took much effort, and well-built. His shoulders were almost as wide as Chan’s and the arm muscles that Jisung could see poking out from his t-shirt were defined as hell. After spotting the compound bow he was toting, that made sense.

“Sorry about that,” the man said in a silky smooth voice. “You looked like you needed a hand.”

Jisung had to say something clever, something witty. This guy had just saved his life, seen him make an embarrassing blunder. The only way he was going to come back from that was through his charm and charisma, of which he had plenty. And now it was time to break out all the stops. So he ran his fingers through his hair, rested his sword over his shoulder in a pose that he knew made him look badass and opened his mouth to absolutely stun this ethereal being with his sparkling personality.

“Thanks, though I don’t think-”

“Minho!”

Before he could lay on the charm, he was roughly shoved aside, almost causing him to fall and embarrass himself again. Hyunjin, the damn cock-blocker, sprinted forward and straight into the gorgeous guy’s arms. The sculpted man looked stunned.

“H-Hyunjin?” he said with surprise. Then he tightly curled his arms around the taller’s waist and buried his head into his shoulder. “Holy shit I can’t believe it’s you!”

Oh, Jisung was livid. And to think Hyunjin had actually been growing on him. Too bad he had to kill him now.

“You fucking asshole!” Minho growled then, trapping Hyunjin in a headlock and twisting his fist on his dark hair. Jisung was privately revelling in the taller’s torture as he squirmed. “I thought you were dead... I thought you were fucking dead.” Minho’s voice got really quiet at the end. His fist stopped moving and his head tilted down, his hair covering his eyes.

Jisung felt like he was viewing a very private moment, like he should look away. But it wasn’t exactly like he had anywhere to go. He couldn’t go back without Hyunjin, Chan would have his head.

“I’m sorry, hyung,” Hyunjin murmured, head also tilted down. “I didn’t want to leave you, but I couldn’t stay. You know I-”

“Shh,” Minho shushed him, turning his headlock into more of an embrace. Instead of drilling his fist in, he opened his hand and stroked Hyunjin’s hair gently. “I know. I don’t blame you for leaving. I just.. I just thought you were dead. But I should have known Bomin was a fucking liar.”

At that name, Hyunjin visibly tensed.

“What exactly did Bomin tell you?” Hyunjin asked carefully, voice strained.

“He said that you were overwhelmed, and that he did everything he could but you got bitten and turned. I looked for you for days, weeks. I honestly thought he had killed you.”

“No, he was far too obsessed with me for that,” Hyunjin whispered bitterly. Jisung didn’t think he was meant to hear.

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” Minho agreed quietly.

It was quiet for a moment so Jisung decided to announce his presence again with a very subtle throat clearing.

“Oh! This is Jisung. I’ve been traveling with him and a few others, uh, just recently,” Hyunjin said, stilted and also horribly awkward now.

“Hyunjin, I told you you don’t have to feel guilty,” Minho chided fondly. It definitely did not make Jisung jealous. That would be petty and insane considering he just met this person. He was starting to understand Changbin a little better.

“I’m glad you found new people to run with. Better people, from the looks of it,” Minho finished.

“What are you doing here?” Hyunjin asked.

“I was actually chasing after Jongho. I don’t suppose you saw him?” Minho questioned, glancing around the area as if he expected him to turn the corner at any moment.

“Jongho…” Hyunjin murmured thoughtfully. Then he slapped his hand over his mouth. “Oh, no. I knew I recognized him.”

Guessing where this was going, Jisung stepped aside and gestured to the fresh zombie Hyunjin had downed earlier.

“I expected as much,” Minho sighed. “But I still thought I should try.”

“Why was he out here?” Hyunjin asked, looking at the thing with a hint of remorse.

“Exiled,” Minho answered curtly. “You know Bomin.”

Jisung was really not liking the sound of this Bomin guy.

“So that means…” Hyunjin trailed off, biting his lip.

“Yeah. The whole gang is here, whoever’s left, holed up on the other side of town,” Minho informed flatly.

“That explains why there were so few zombies around,” Jisung muttered. If there was a gang of humans around they had likely cleared most of the place out. The Jongho guy had just stirred the few shuffling around up.

“Minho, you should leave with us,” Hyunjin urged, grabbing at the other’s arm. “Please. I couldn’t take you with me back then but I can now.” He sounded desperate as he pleaded with the other, but Jisung could tell that it wasn’t necessary.

“Don’t need to ask me twice,” Minho scoffed. “Not like Bomin’s gotten any nicer since you left. But I can’t leave right now. I need to grab some stuff from the camp.”

“Hyung…” Hyunjin trailed off.

“Don’t worry about it. Why don’t I meet you here later tonight?” Minho suggested. “Late, like midnight. Sneaking off will be easy. Bomin doesn’t like me anyway, so I doubt he’d think twice about me leaving.”

“Be careful,” Hyunjin warned seriously.

“Always,” Minho replied. “It was nice meeting you, Jisung.”

Jisung flushed, kind of surprised that he had even remembered he was standing there, let alone his name. “Oh, uh, you too.”

Minho ruffled Hyunjin’s hair—”Hyung cut it out!”—and then disappeared into the sunset like the magical, stunning man he was. Jisung had many questions. He was bursting with them and his prolonged silence during the conversation only left him practically vibrating with the need to interrogate Hyunjin.

“So… Minho,” Jisung started nonchalantly.

“An old friend,” Hyunjin supplied rather unhelpfully. They didn’t seem to be romantically involved, though, from what Jisung inferred.

“He’s a great guy, so you don’t have to worry,” Hyunjin said defensively, apparently misinterpreting his questioning. “He won’t bring the group down.”

“No, I mean, I know,” Jisung hurried to explain. “I wasn’t distrusting him just… curious,” he finished rather lamely.

Hyunjin clearly saw right through him because his eyes widened and he mouthed, “Oh.”

Jisung cleared his throat then, trying to swallow down his embarrassment. “What about this Bomin guy? You sound like you were close?”

“Mm hm,” Hyunjin hummed. “Are you actually interested or are you just playing nice now because you want to fuck my friend?”

Jisung choked on his saliva.

“It’s fine either way,” Hyunjin added. “Minho’s a great guy, like I said, and you’re not bad yourself. You might make a good pair.”

“You serious?” Jisung asked in disbelief. Even though it wasn’t exactly high praise, it was certainly more than he had expected Hyunjin to say about him.

“Yeah. Just because you’re kind of an asshole that doesn’t make you a bad person. Plus, Minho’s always liked someone that can keep him on his toes,” Hyunjin explained with a short shrug. 

Jisung felt a small, slow warmth spread across his chest at the surprisingly kind words. He decided to test the waters a little more. “So is this you giving your blessing?”

“Don’t make me out to be his dad,” Hyunjin laughed. “But I guess yes, I would love it if you made wild, passionate love to my friend.”

Jisung scrunched his face up in disgust. “And you had to go and ruin it.” Maybe Hyunjin wasn’t so bad. He still hadn’t answered his question, though. “Is this Bomin guy gonna be a problem for us? Were you..?” Jisung trailed off.

“Dating?” Hyunjin finished for him. “Yes, I guess so. But no, he won’t be a problem. It’s not like I plan on seeing him again if I can help it.” The taller’s voice was sour as he talked about the guy.

Jisung nodded, guessing as much based on his reaction. He still had unanswered questions, though. And he wasn’t sure why he was censoring himself now. It’s not like subtlety had ever been a part of his personality. “Did he..? Was he..?” Despite that he still couldn’t exactly find the words to ask what he wanted to know.

“Are you wondering if he was abusive? If he hit me?” Hyunjin supplied. He didn’t seem bothered by the questioning, likely expecting it after the conversation Jisung had heard. “Yes, he did.”

Jisung definitely did not know what to say to that. “Wow, I-”

“But don’t worry,” Hyunjin interrupted before Jisung could expand upon his shitty sympathy. “I hit back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Your comments and support have motivated me and meant so much. Thank you for sticking around. <3 I can't make any promises about the next update, but just know that I have not abandoned this fic! Every chapter just takes more thought and care than my other projects.
> 
> Stay safe!
> 
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/NarcissNarwhal)


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